Men of Rajasthan

the long version

The back cover blurb reads: "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 catalogue '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."