Namaste
Issue 01 CRE ATOR & EDI TOR-IN-CHIEF RUPI SOOD RUPI@JAI-PUR.COM DESIGNER L ISA ENG-LODGE ELECTR ADESIGNGROUP.COM CON T RIBU TORS HAJR A AHMAD, PHOTOGR APHER L IV HOFFMAN, PHOTOGR APHER S WATI MISHR A , WRITER PRIYANK A SACHE T I, WRI T ER FAR AH SAL EEM, PROOFRE ADER APOORVA TADEPAL L I, WRI T ER
Chandra with a Shell Headdress, 2009
COVER WAS WO X . WAS WO & R AJESH SONI
J’AIPUR Jour nal is published by J’AIPUR S tudio in Br ooklyn, New Yor k . Pr inted in Canada by Hemlock Pr inter s L td. on pos t-consumer w as te paper wi t h ul t r alow-VOC veget able oil-based ink in a 100 % car bon neu t r al pr int f acili t y. All r ig ht s r eser ved. All mater ial wi t hin t his mag a zine may not be r epr oduced, t r ansmi t ted or dis t r ibu ted in any f or m wi t hou t wr i t ten consent . © 20 18 J’AIPUR Jour nal
JOURNAL@JAI-PUR.COM W W W.JAI-PUR.COM @JAIPURJOURNAL
ST
a er Me
IO l UD ate
eP Le
Molly Mahon
7
JOURNAL
Waswo X. Waswo
37
EXHIBIT
24
STAGE Gopal Divan
48
S RK WO PP HO al ap dr Ru an an ch an
62
E T an E TR il Kh
S Shak
KITCHEN
Na
en ve
70
Shiv Puri
61
LENS Hajra Ahmad
80
EL F s SH Pick OK itor's BO Ed
96
© Waswo X. Waswo, Feathers for Sale, 2008, Black and white pigment print hand-coloured by Rajesh Soni / Courtesy Tasveer
Wonderful THE
Waswo J ’A I P U R J O U R N A L
WOR L D OF
7
J ’A I P U R J O U R N A L
© Waswo X. Waswo, Radasham Dancing, 2007, Black and white pigment print hand-coloured by Rajesh Soni / Courtesy Tasveer
8
WASWO X. WASWO From the photographs of Waswo X. Waswo, we get a glimpse of ordinary life that takes place in the brilliant mosaic called India. In the city of Udaipur, which has been Waswo’s home for the last ten years, he has collaborated with skillful, local artists: hand-colorist Rajesh Soni, and miniaturist R. Vijay, to produce sepia-toned images that merge the past and present. Even though Waswo has been critiqued— like many foreigners before him—for
seemingly reiterating a traditional colonial gaze, his focus remains on capturing the unique minutiae of life in the small towns and villages of India. These photographs are hand-fashioned into existence, assembled piece-by-piece through the painted backdrops, the elaborate props, and the willing locals who sit in his studio. And what a galaxy of characters and stories we encounter in Waswo's inviting world of living, breathing dioramas.
WHAT INI T IAL LY BROUGH T YOU TO INDIA AND KEP T YOU COMING BACK ?
YOU HAVE BEEN L IVING IN UDAIPUR FOR T HE PAS T DECADE AND FOUND MUCH SUCCESS FOR YOUR WORK , ALONG WI T H A FAIR AMOUN T OF CRI T ICISM CL AIMING T HAT YOU’ VE CAP T URED IMPOVERISHED INDIANS WITH AN ORIENTALIS T LENS. WHAT HAVE YOU LE ARNED THROUGH ALL OF T HIS AND WHAT HAS BEEN T HE MOS T CHAL L ENGING PART OF WORKING IN INDIA? It has been such a long story. When I first started walking the Indian streets with my Rolleiflex camera, I was quite naïve, not only about India, but also about post-colonial theory.
J ’A I P U R J O U R N A L
My first trip was actually in 1993, and then starting in 1999, I started to spend at least half the year here. Eventually I settled in Udaipur, where I have lived now for over ten years. My father served in both India and China during World War II. So I grew up with many India stories. Later, my father retired to Goa. The family always had an India connection. Our family was also artistic. Both my father, and my mother, painted. I would say that I am inspired by the people of India, and also the culture. I love the people I live with, and work with, in Udaipur. The common people can be so kind, and loving, and generous of heart. I come from a simple background; my father was a grocer, so I still very much relate to average working people.
9
© Waswo X. Waswo, The Flower Seller, 2015, Black and white pigment print hand-coloured by Rajesh Soni / Courtesy Tasveer J ’A I P U R J O U R N A L
10
© Waswo X. Waswo, A Woman in Traditional Dress, 2008, Black and white pigment print hand-coloured by Rajesh Soni / Courtesy Tasveer
© Waswo X. Waswo, In the Village, 2014, Black and white pigment print hand-coloured by Rajesh Soni / Courtesy Tasveer
My early photographs got me into a lot of trouble with the postcolonial theory crowd. The sepia tones I used back then were construed as being nostalgic, and keeping India in a backward, pre-modern time. But, after switching to the studio portraits, and jettisoning the sepia tones in favour of more contemporary hand-colouring, a lot of those criticisms started to wane. The hand-colouring made the photos hover between the past and the present. I think more and more people caught on to what I was trying to do. People began to realize that I was not trying to hold India back by refusing to document the modern urban centres, but rather, find beauty that still exists in its small, rural towns and small city traditions. I love living in Udaipur and creating art on a daily basis, but it does remain a constant challenge to fit in with the mainstream Indian art scene.
YOU MOVED AWAY FROM YOUR E ARLIER WORK WITH SEPIA-TONED PHOTOGR APHY AND ARE NOW WEL L KNOWN FOR RE VIVING T HE ART OF HAND-PAIN T ED P HO T OGR A P H Y F ROM A B Y GONE E R A IN INDI A . W H Y I S T HI S A R T F ORM IMPORTAN T TO YOU? In the past I had done mostly sepia, brown-coloured photographs. I liked the antique feel this gave the printed photographs. But, by 2006, I was ready for a change. I started to print my photographs in straight black-and-white, and I printed them digitally for the first time. By luck, I met Rajesh Soni, who was a very young man at that time. He had been trained as a photo hand-colourist by his father, who had in turn been trained by Rajesh’s grandfather. As a third generation photo handcolourist, Rajesh brought a lot of tradition to the craft. Very few people were still doing this in India. I think Rajesh and I helped revive the craft. We’re both very concerned with the deskilling of traditional crafts that happens as global tastes take hold.
© Waswo X. Waswo, Night Prowl, 2008, Black and white pigment print hand-coloured by Rajesh Soni / Courtesy Tasveer
I had known Rajesh for a very long time, since the days he was pretty much still a kid. I was always aware that he was a gifted sketch artist, and he could often be seen sketching havelis in Udaipur’s Old City, or along Gangour Ghat. Rajesh was the one who introduced me to my other collaborator, R. Vijay, the miniaturist that I have worked with now for ten years. It was on one of the visits Rajesh made to my home, with R. Vijay, that he noticed some of my black and white photographs. He got excited, and said, “Cha Cha, I can paint these!” Years prior, I had thought of trying to hand-colour some of my work, but had never found the right person to do it. So, starting on that very day, Rajesh and I became a team. It took him a while to learn how to produce the soft tones that I was looking to achieve. Once he perfected that, he has consistently added a magical dimension to each and every one of my images. He chooses the colours himself. Rajesh has a great eye and a lot of skill. I can’t praise him enough.
J ’A I P U R J O U R N A L
HOW DID YOU MEE T R AJESH SONI (WHOSE GR ANDFAT HER PR ABHU L AL SONI WAS ONCE COURT PHOTOGR APHER TO T HE L AT E MAHAR ANA SHREE BHOPAL S INGH OF ME WA R) A ND ULT IM AT E LY E S TA BL I S H T HI S L ONG -S TA NDING COLL ABOR ATION WI T H HIM?
11
© Waswo X. Waswo, Bike Boys, 2015, Black and white J ’Ahand-coloured I P U R J O U by RN A L Soni / Courtesy Tasveer pigment print Rajesh
12
13
J ’A I P U R J O U R N A L
BUY THE COMPLETE PRINT ISSUE HERE
J ’A I P U R J O U R N A L
www.jai-pur.com/market/
14
BUY THE COMPLETE PRINT ISSUE HERE
J ’A I P U R J O U R N A L
www.jai-pur.com/market/
15
Journey to Jaipur
J ’A I P U R J O U R N A L
WITH TEX TILE DESIGNER MOLLY MAHON
16
the da y f o t a e e h I wa s on before th , i h h l c e it D h ’s a out a I rea ch hwa y. It me. With ig h n o e p h u t y ong perly ind in m w errily a l wa s pro e m h t g in h z es whiz ut wit e dissolv my wa y— ion to Ja ipur, b im t , s e y iss my e 5 hour m he sights before d t rden of a ha ir, a n g . e e h c t n in r nifica oon, I a m t to the wa rme into insig n r e t f a e n By th ing my a djustme n. This is , e v k a a e m h l it is a nd my hote rry Engl fra nkly, o e (S it . u e Q ik l . eel clima te should f r e m m u ad wha t s long, I he a r o ) . f e c d n n rou or no offe to sit a k- tuk f u e t n o a t e is o in N ove. Ther ld cit y l o d e n h t a o int e now stra ight India I k o get you into th e h t f o st as e t full bla ba ndon - tuk rid a k u y t a g a ith ike ple, gig gling w nothing l a nd peo , f l s e w s o y c m , s nd a rt f a spirit. I fi out of c d n e pa rt o r a a in e e w l he g we wig tion is t ly, a s if s a s v e l r e m s b a o e s colours, y first l e M t somehow s . e a c p n utiful ise d da uks: bea t synchron oof ) a nd k r u t e h t w e s n hit f a rra y o no longer ngs! d a e h y r the lu as la rger (m much bet ter fo Ma ha l a w a H o s the e lectric — the cit y look a t f o o t z d z n u a he b ek, I st n a nd t or a we f w o e d r e s h e o g only the sun e. I a m m d n u o r a chie ve. o moves a t t o l e is a but ther
J ’A I P U R J O U R N A L
DAY 1
17
J ’A I P U R J O U R N A L
18
ay 4 s a s tod d r o w r o DAYS 2 ed f of Too excit to, the doyenne . ly r a e it us Up to see G tremendo igns u e r v g a a h B I o des one I hea d t e o f my nd some m a o , s g in d t ut e v in ve ca r y is a bo block-pr a a h d o T y e l. h riva for for. T f my a r ling the blocks respect o d a e h s a sa mp be dding. d d n n a a a s block r s u n o -line with col ts, ta ble in their work, il u q pla ying f o e ra nge eticulous hey ha v m T . e s r our new t a n ie s l guy e c These e some impressiv nd Git to herse lf . ter a y ha v pera tion o a nd the ille d colour ma s is h t f dore sk ner o ision. I a a highly- re tha n the ow c e r p f o dy mo nd a la mentor to me— is much a t is t r a n a ue She is a h her a s she is e techniq h t t u o b a wit king working thing new ugh we a re wor e m o s e m ho e is tea ching I go. I fee l a s t ourse, sh ec f o d n e A sid e very tim this collection. working e b o y t r n o sensitivit e honou a r together a s r g in a r b n! It ’s le; it a rd a woma er fema I ha ve found h h t o n a ith t by-side w dersta nding tha un t I ta ke a h t . e a nd a n r is e in e lsewh e with my work the to a t ta olour, to nc c e r e e n f o if d only with The printe d n using e t e f b o , d s l n u o esig s w an simple d ly, fa bric r, ea ch nee ding l a ic r o t is c. olou ta ble. H hintz, et ers of c c y , s a l y e l d is n pa la yers a — think k c o l b l individua
19
J ’A I P U R J O U R N A L
20
J ’A I P U R J O U R N A L
21
J ’A I P U R J O U R N A L
22
J ’A I P U R J O U R N A L
J ’A I P U R J O U R N A L
the tic, a nd s is l p im s ore ion much m d tra dit l o is e h g ny c a a o r mix of r compa u l o u Our a pp f t r e a d h n w is king a wo igns. This xciting to be ta s result is e d n r e K. ’s e mod in the U e d for. It e crea ting r is e n g h o c a e r r h ing rn e cloth wit is becom ing into a mode e h t o t n int t o block pr re printing direc he block t s ip d r k inte We a the bloc y the pr s b e p r m e h a t w s k, n ve the bloc a nd the They ha . y ic a r r b t a e e f y d e top lin nto the h o t into the d u m h e t h w t e a vy a re d to sho a with a h e r h t ye. They e f o y b e g in l ista ke. m t printin a tight u o a b e a k ’s ma n it e lld ra re ly a nd the n a , t istrict w s d a f a , e is t down a ccura of Ba gru so work further a e r a l ed The ting. I a ers ca ll t in r in p r p s it f o or y fa me d f ith a communit ifferent d y r e v w is of Git to’s g the roa d iles. The set -up in t t e s re hite ext Ba gru T ool a nd ca lm w he tiny houses a c f e, t g fie lds o from the e workshop. Her in y r d l na st yl e commu soon comes, it ’s ha ngerh t d n u o ar mon g situa te d he dryin hen the t W e . s e u s u a o c h be to Vijendra’s to print ontinue c m y e e h h t t , r fo to’s difficult t a t Git u b , h s a w fie ld is a hout the ra ins. oug print thr
23
re nd we a a y a d o t my sister a nt a nd s y b a e l d p e o in he It ’s s I'm jo out of t f ea rly. t f e o g t o e, e t s We r Pa la c st time e e b b m tourists. e h A t e r th en, a nd 1614, a de d fo e h ca lm th 50 a nd e r 15 a n e e e W w . kly nd ha s uilt bet a B , . s r cit y quic t u n e ip e lem h of Ja nd Hindu res the ima gina a just nort t u jp es Ra ca ptu e is it combin a ir to it tha t lly if on ia c e p s e , tic eyes a ma jes for the t s a s! e d f a ile design reshing to go a n t x e t tion. It ’s w e r ref g for n his is ra the sea rchin it useum. T , s M d i r h a k I w o r n e Aft t the A museums a d e s t r o a r it cu a nly vis ressive ly ut with p o im be the o id t a s l o nd ifully the m you a rou ’s bea ut s It is one of d . o a t e l n er bee a thing. , a nd it y r s o is t m is h ha ve e v ’t on ise k so you d nd conc y a w ster bloc a ly clea r a e m v o e l h t hing s in a ha nkies, e d: wa tc e the room d l t u l it c l in n ese r ow lights a nd che inting ou The high r l e p n , n k e r f o he at w ling on t b ca rver ib n , d n a rd. el the e y court y a ce hot l a nd in t t a e P r p l e a ah this in th the Ra jm spera te to visit biscuits t a e iv rr ve been een de a b h We a e v d n a h a I ed ternoon. t it open n e m a y here. o t tha t a f s m ie in h t m my from ere e a bout a rth, th propert y it E r w d o o o t G of ne d a nd commissio by Adil Ahma d pa t tern, , r u o l o c g a re ed k in usin re d, a nd there Decora t c a b g in e hold lpa p wa s no er. a re wa l s l l a w n togeth t o s o g M in o . g t l in pr al pa t terns f o s d a lo
J ’A I P U R J O U R N A L
DAY 5
24
25
J ’A I P U R J O U R N A L
26
J ’A I P U R J O U R N A L
e en it ha s b , d e h c u o ptuous, nt m u u s t f ’s e l It en! pa ce is a of hea v d in If a ny s ’s rea lly k it y — m e u — iq k n u pin pa inte d to ha ve ble, a nd a y t k r o c f u l m o l , c fee tion high end r a nd I this loca u e ip s a u J I s, . f o ht here s, fa bric ig ie n r trea sure r l u h ia d c So, ne spe ween the meetings. t e y sta ye d o b m d r e o s a se f discus nd the a , a s the b xt trip a re a ll m o o r Polo ne oom, the r a nd the ndles in k a in c P y f b o it s e re l 51 Sha d s tha t a n e d r a g retrea ts stunning r e t is s , my ning ing. xha uste d a rs, liste the e ven e t s d e n h a t y nder Ha pp friendly e utside u h o t it h s it I en hile ting w ha ve be to be d w d by, cha t l u r o a w o s a t it ra in ining wh to the t g a im d r, a n ma na ge the Ra j. g in r u d like here we a nd so , o g t s u m he De lhi we wn by t o o d t , d s e a h l ig a we But, t tra in, d design, h n ig a n r e t u o a l co e l be boa rd th ssions of d. I will e e r p m r o im f e e my ar , th stronger, memories ips tha t h s w o n r g io t s a l n re tio g a nd the y connec y workin M m . n d o o n s a l, ry ba ck ve t fee ls more rea n. I look io s s e s b o en an a t ta chm ts tha t becoming c u e d r o r a p s hip the ca n’t re la tions riva l of r a e h e d a nd t n n o t a l d p r d rn, print, n e t a t forwa a d P e p . K d I sha to the U k c a Git to a n b his trip. t m f e o h t a r t ge a nt wa it to re the m a y jo d n colour, a
J ’A I P U R J O U R N A L
DAY 6
27
Photog r aph: Raphael Gonz alez
NAVEEN SHAKIL KHAN
29
J ’A I P U R J O U R N A L
Photog r aph: Julian Wal ter
30
Photog r aph: Adil Sheikh
and you feel like you can’t breathe. I moved to Brooklyn, took my canvas out to the corner, and now I feel that with every piece I’ve done, these people have seen it from start to finish. They’ve become a part of me. They’ve become a part of my art. That’s the best bit about street painting—you engage with the community.” Born in Karachi, Pakistan, Naveen studied architecture in Scotland, and worked for leading architectural firms in Australia and Pakistan before transitioning into graphic design. She then moved to New York City and began working for the Estée Lauder group of companies. Immersed in graphics, illustration and canvas painting for over four years, she describes her creative work as a “cocktail of graphic, traditional and surreal art topped off with a hint of street graffiti grunge.” “I was working full time as an architect in Melbourne, and I never had time to paint, but there was a lot of creativity on the streets, and I was absorbing a lot of street art. And when I came to New York, it all just gushed out of me,” she said. As a British citizen, Naveen had been encouraged to move back to the UK where she has friends and family. “But it would have been too easy,” she said. “It didn’t excite me. I can do it anytime.” After coming to New York for a friend’s wedding, Naveen changed plans. “She came. We went to the wedding. She said she’d stay an extra week. Then she stayed for another ten days. And then she was just like, ‘I’m staying,’” Naveen’s friend recalled, laughing. “Do you have any money?” he’d asked her incredulously when she told him her plan. “No,” Naveen replied. “Do you have any friends?” “Just you!” “Do you have a visa?” “Nope.” “Do you have a job?” “No.” “What do you have?” he questioned. “Me,” Naveen answered.
J ’A I P U R J O U R N A L
I
n 2015, Naveen Shakil Khan took a canvas out to the corner of Bedford Avenue and South 2nd Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, just outside her new apartment where her bedroom didn’t have a window, and worked on a painting called Sleeplessly Embracing, from her 2014 series, Vascillating Paradigms. At the time, Naveen, an architect by formal education, and a self-taught artist and graphic designer, was designing and painting on the side; she had decided to stop working for a world-renowned architectural firm to further pursue her passion for street art. It is on this corner that Naveen built her Williamsburg family. In the past two years, Naveen has painted several canvases against the wall of her apartment building as well as murals around Brooklyn. There is the old man who always gives her the art supplies that he finds; the neighbor and best friend who shoots photographs and videos while she’s working; the locals who often drop by to watch her paint; the little boy, living across the street, who brings his chalk outside to draw alongside her; the baristas from Oslo Coffee Roasters who have her caffè lattes ready to fuel her for the day. It is also on this corner that I did my interview with Naveen, over a drink at the Lucky Dog tavern, with her neighbor, which quickly turned into a family affair. It’s not uncommon to hear that a sense of community in New York, even in Brooklyn, is fast diminishing as neighborhoods gentrify and families and long-term residents are replaced with young hipsters. However, this seemed untrue at this little Williamsburg corner, where the same people who stopped to watch Naveen paint two years ago were now here, clustered around a table in the backyard, with kids and dogs, and a Connect Four board—an entire block party happening in a bar where Naveen and the bartender have a ritual of taking shots together every time Naveen is closing out her bill. “The best decision I ever made was to move from Manhattan to Brooklyn,” she said. “In Manhattan, you’re always on the rush,
31
Photog r aph: Aly zeh A shr af f Polar oids: Adil Sheikh
Every morning between 4.30 and 5, Naveen wakes up and sits either on her roof or her fire escape, listening to music, doing yoga, and watching the sunrise. “It’s my…you know in Islam, you have fajr ki namaz—prayer before sunrise. This is my prayer. I just look around, and I remind myself that I’m here.” Naveen got through her first few difficult weeks in New York by relying on friends, and the faith of potential employers, after leaving the world of architecture where she had experience and recommendations, for full-time graphic design, a field in which she had no formal education, and no experience. “Sunrise is my favorite part of the day. It’s a new day. Anything can happen,” mused Naveen. This is the attitude that she brings to many of her interactions, including job interviews. “I don’t really have bad interviews, mashallah,” she said, touching the wooden table lightly. “People generally just like the energy I bring I think. My first job here, at a small PR and tech company, was for a husband and wife who petitioned for my visa. I didn’t have any money, so they paid for my application, and called it a down payment for a painting. I don’t work there anymore, but I’m still in touch with them. I will never forget them—they believed in me. It was hard. Everyone said, ‘Why do you have to go through this? Just go back to the UK. It’ll be easy.’ Blah, blah. I hate doing things just because they’re easy.” “That’s funny,” I replied. “I was just telling someone earlier today that when I travel, I like to make it difficult for myself, and go to places where I don’t know anyone or anything so that I have to learn things on my own.” “Exactly!” Naveen said. ‘Me-time’ is an essential part of her art and her life. Sometimes, Naveen will just disappear; she’ll book a flight to a place she’s never been, and tell no one. “I’ve gone on holidays with friends, and you’re not on your own time,” she explains. “No one else wants to wake up at 5 am. Travel is my alone time. I don’t even ask for recommendations from people. I just get to places, walk around, talk to the locals, and discover things on my own.”
33
BUY THE COMPLETE PRINT ISSUE HERE
J ’A I P U R J O U R N A L
www.jai-pur.com/market/
34
BUY THE COMPLETE PRINT ISSUE HERE
J ’A I P U R J O U R N A L
www.jai-pur.com/market/
35
36
BOOKSHELF (top to bottom) ALHAMBRA OF GRANADA Carlos Giordano Rodriguez, Nicolas Palmisano Sosa | Dosde HAUTE BOHEMIANS Miguel Flores-Vianna | Vendome INDIA IN MY EYES Barbara Macklowe | Papadakis TEXTILES OF THE BANJARA Charlotte Kwon, Tim McLaughlin | Thames & Hudson FLOWER MEN Ken Hermann | Kehrer Verlag CHINESE EROTIC POEMS Translated by Tony Barnstone, Ping Chou | Alfred A. Knopf CHRISTIAN WASSMANN: SUN PATH HOUSE AND OTHER COSMIC ARCHITECTURES Defne Ayas, Gianni Jetzer, Daniel Sherer, Christian Wassmann | KOENIG SEE THE WORLD BEAUTIFUL Anne Menke | Glitterati
An East-meets-West journal for creative and curious minds
www.Jai-Pur.com $20 usd