The artist team of Waswo X. Waswo, Rajesh Soni, and R. Vijay present an exhibition that is on the surface whimsical, yet holds an underlying theme of ecological warning.
A Day in the Country takes us on a foreigner’s journey into the fields and landscapes of rural India, where he encounters people, meditates in tranquility, and perpetually photographs with his camera. The photographs in this exhibition can be thought of as portraits of native folk made by the little fedora-wearing gentleman almost always seen with his trusty Rolleiflex.
INDIGO BLUE ART is pleased to invite you for the opening reception on Thursday, 7th May 2015 from 7 to 9pm. Waswo X. Waswo and R. Vijay will be present and will host a walkthrough for guests at 7.30pm.
20 deluxe hardcover copies of Waswo’s Men of Rajasthan will also be available for sale. Purchased books can be signed by Waswo at the reception.
About Waswo X. Waswo
Waswo X. Waswo was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the U.S.A. He studied at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, The Milwaukee Center for Photography, and Studio Marangoni, The Centre for Contemporary Photography in Florence, Italy. His books, India Poems: The Photographs, published by Gallerie Publishers in 2006, and Men of Rajasthan, published by Serindia Contemporary in 2011 (hardcover 2014), have been available worldwide. The artist has lived and travelled in India for over sixteen years and he has made his home in Udaipur, Rajasthan, for the past nine. There he collaborates with a variety of local artists including the photo hand-colourist Rajesh Soni. He has also produced a series of semi-autobiographical miniature paintings in collaboration with the artist R. Vijay. Waswo is represented in India by Gallerie Espace, New Delhi and Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai, and in Thailand by Serindia Gallery, Bangkok and also by Indigo Blue Art, Singapore. In Europe the artist is represented by Gallerie Minsky, Paris.
About Rajesh Soni
Rajesh Soni was born on the 6th of August, 1981. He is an artist living in Udaipur, Rajasthan, who has become known primarily for his abilities to hand paint digital photographs. He is the son of artist Lalit Soni, and the grandson of Prabhu Lal Soni (Verma), who was once court photographer to the Maharana Bhopal Singh of Mewar. Prabhu Lal was not only a court photographer, but also a hand-colourist who painted the black and white photographs that he produced. His skills of hand-colouring photographs were passed down to Rajesh through the intermediary of his father Lalit.
About Rakesh Vijay
R. Vijay, son of Mohan Lal Vijayvargiya, was born on the 22nd of March, 1970, and is a grandnephew of the historic Rajasthani painter Ramgopal Vijayvargiya. The artist received little formal training and his miniature painting style has been described as naïve, though his works have drawn attention and praise from various critics throughout India. Early in life R. Vijay was tutored by traditional miniaturists such as Sukhdev Singh Sisodiya and Laxmi Narayan Sikaligar. Later he developed his own style, which has been called an eclectic mix of Persian and Mogul styles, along with a bit of the Company School of Indo-British art.
