Men of Rajasthan

Men of Rajasthan by Waswo X. Waswo with Hand-Colourist Rajesh Soni, contributions by Maya Kovskaya and Amrita Gupta Singh. American-born artist Waswo X. Waswo brings a portion of his widely discussed series A Studio in Rajasthan to Serindia Gallery, resulting in this handsome book Men of Rajasthan. Working in collaboration with a team of Indian artists, Waswo playfully recreates and examines the tradition of vintage studio portraiture. Waswo's chief accomplice in this endeavour is Rajesh Soni, a third generation Rajasthani hand-colourist whose grandfather was once court photographer to the Maharana Bhopal Singh of Mewar. Soni's careful and highly talented painting of each photograph adds a vintage feel to work that hovers enigmatically between the retro and the contemporary. Men of Rajasthan contains fifty images annotated with delightful commentary by the photographer himself and further uncovers the male-centric universe of a uniquely mysterious place. This book accompanies an exhibition Men of Rajasthan at Serindia Gallery, Bangkok 27 January - 27 February 2011.

The author was born in Milwaukee in the United States, but currently makes his home in Udaipur, Rajasthan