Karkhana: A Studio in Rajasthan

Beautifully designed and illustrated, this is a one-of-a-kind artist's memoir that documents his long and creative association with Indian artists, blending traditional miniature painting techniques with digital photography - An impassioned look at the way the coronavirus lockdowns and their aftermath have impacted artist and artisan communities in Rajasthan, India - Featuring more than 200 images, including an extensive collection of strikingly original artworks produced by the artist's studio Karkhana takes us on a meandering journey through the Rajasthani city of Udaipur as we follow American artist Waswo X. Waswo, a 20-year resident of India, through a typical day of collaborations with a variety of Indian artists. From miniature painters such as R. Vijay and Dalpat Jingar, to the third-generation photo hand-colorist Rajesh Soni, to the phenomenally skilled painter of golden borders, Shankar Kumawat, we are treated to an intimate look behind the scenes of Waswo's extended network of co-creators, as well as the photography studio he uses in the outlying village of Varda. Waswo and his team weave visual narratives that blend vintage miniature painting techniques with digital photography, the past with the present, and a self-effacing humour with existential angst. Karkhana is a word that literally means 'factory' in Hindi, but has lineage to the historical painting workshops of Persia. This book explores the continuance of this system of mutual artistic collaboration within a contemporized Indian community, and the manner in which Waswo's unlikely team has come into the contemporary art market.