Shubhasree Purkayastha
“When you first look at my pictures you know what you’re seeing. Then you realise what you first saw is not correct and you’re forced to look at them again, which leaves you with this strange feeling that you’re caught in the middle.” Learn about Waswo X. Waswo’s body of work that infused with layers and layers of meaning.
Waswo X. Waswo is an American photographer and poet, who currently lives in Udaipur Rajasthan. Waswo made his first trip to India in 1993, before relocating for good and establishing a photo studio in the outskirts of Udaipur in 2003.
Waswo’s body of work is infused with layers and layers of meaning, yet are easily accessible to the viewer. These include his sepia toned photographs of Indian landscapes and people, contemporary miniatures painted on handmade paper, and painted photographs created in his in-house studio in Rajasthan.
Cross before a Goan House, Arambol, Waswo X. Waswo, 2002, Sepia-toned silver gelatin print
My Private Driver, Jaitu – Pushkar, Waswo X. Waswo, 1999, Sepia-toned silver gelatin print
The works that follow India Poems are primarily collaborations with fellow artists of Rajasthan (in a nod to the tradition of karkhanas or painting ateliers of historic India). In the contemporary miniatures that Waswo executes along with miniaturist R. Vijay, one sees a painted version of the artist travelling across the country and taking photographs. These photographs can be then imagined as the photographic body of work that Waswo produces along with photograph-painter Rajesh Soni.
The Mutka Chor, 2010, Waswo X. Waswo, Hand coloured pigment print
The residents of the village where Waswo has set up his studio are his models. From the roadside fruit seller to the local street performer – anybody willing is welcome. The process of taking the photo itself is theatrical: with elaborate backdrops painted on linen (often featuring the landscape of Rajasthan), vintage props and costumes. The models often play a role in their own imaging, while Waswo directs the whole, as the creative director. Post the digital production and printing, the photos are meticulously hand-tinted by Rajesh Soni, adding the signature gossamer quality that identifies them as Waswo’s work.
The Mirch-wallah, Waswo X. Waswo, 2008, Hand coloured pigment print
Waswo’s photographs playfully examine the worlds of colonial ethnographic documentation and the fantastical make-believe of early photo studios. They range from single figure shots to theatrical tableaus, and reference everything from Hindu myths and contemporary rituals to everyday life.
The Evil Orientalist, Waswo X. Waswo, 2011, Hand coloured pigment print
In the series on Gauri / Gavri performers (a traditional form of dance-drama from Rajasthan), one can see young men, often cross-dressed and with make-up, posing against elaborately painted sets. In this series, the focus is not so much on documenting the performance but on the actors and their characters.
Gauri Dancers #6, Waswo X. Waswo, 2013, Hand coloured pigment print
First Incarnation the Eleventh, Waswo X. Waswo, 2009 Hand coloured pigment print
On the Wings of DesireAayati Sengupta
Curtain Call: The long running Theatre of Life in Goa’s long standing homesUlka Chauhan & Samira Sheth
How Blue is Blue?Dhruvika Bisht
Capturing Love in a Photo FrameRahul Mahesh