![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.hindustantimes.com\/rf\/image_size_960x540\/HT\/p2\/2017\/03\/08\/Pictures\/_e11a2bfa-03f1-11e7-87c7-5947ba54d240.jpg\")
\u00a9 Waswo X. Waswo, The Flower Seller, 2015, black and white pigment print hand-coloured by Rajesh Soni. (Tasveer )<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n
A lot of your art is centered around Hindu deities…<\/b> \u00a9 Waswo X. Waswo, Feathers For Sale, 2008, black and white pigment print hand-coloured by Rajesh Soni. (Tasveer)<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n Many art critics have called you a \u2018Gora Sahib\u2019. How does it make you feel?<\/b> Your work sometimes has been criticised for its unconventional style. Does that bother you?<\/b> What was your idea of India before you settled here and what do you think of the country now?<\/b> Born in Milwaukee, USA and based in Udaipur, Rajasthan \u2014 photographer Waswo X Waswo\u2019s sepia-toned pictures have garnered much acclaim over the past decade. He often collaborates with other artists such as Rajesh Soni and Rakesh Vijayvargiya, aka R Vijay, who hand-colour and recreate his photographs as paintings. The end result is artwork that is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":""},"categories":[1993],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46395"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=46395"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46395\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=46395"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=46395"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=46395"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nI wouldn\u2019t say a lot, but yes, a few [of my works] have [Hindu deities]. In the current Photowallah exhibition at Tarq, we have an image of Shine Shivan (an Indian artiste) performing as Kali. Shivan visited our studio in the village of Varda (Rajasthan), and he was keen on portraying Kali. In the past, we have also referenced both Krishna and Hanuman, but more in a symbolic way than a spiritual manner, with Krishna representing the playful and flirtatious side of masculinity, and Hanuman showing the aggressive and warlike side of masculinity. But no, I\u2019m not at all spiritual in the \u2018new age\u2019 sense. I have immense love for Hinduism, its rituals, stories and imagery. I don\u2019t follow any particular teaching.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.hindustantimes.com\/rf\/image_size_960x540\/HT\/p2\/2017\/03\/08\/Pictures\/_23aebac6-03f2-11e7-87c7-5947ba54d240.jpg\")
\nSome critics seem very prejudiced against me, as I am a white outsider who has gained entrance into the Indian art scene, and for them Indian art has a purely racial definition. Others are well-meaning, but still tend to approach me as a white bossman for whom Rajesh and Rakesh are mere workers. This is far from the truth. There is no contract between the three of us. We act as individuals that connect on an artistic level.
\nWhere do you draw the visual references for your collaborative works? <\/b>
\nNearly all of the photographs and miniatures are fully conceptualised by me, but that isn\u2019t to say that Rajesh and Rakesh do not have their inputs. They often guide me on cultural matters, and also give suggestions on aesthetics. Sometimes, after a shoot, Rajesh sits with me and we discuss which photograph would be the final one. He\u2019s got a good eye. When I am having difficulty deciding between two images that I like, it is Rajesh who often picks the final.<\/p>\n\n
\nThose critics don\u2019t understand the historical part of the posed portrait and the use of backdrops, nor do they understand how I\u2019m playing with that history. This is the type of thing I like to talk about when I\u2019m invited to speak. It\u2019s just a confusion of what photography is and can be. Too many people expect photography to be like a socio-documentary, so when it is not, they are just befuddled.<\/p>\n
\nI grew up in a rural area near Milwaukee in Wisconsin (USA). When I was young, I had chickens, cows and horses for neighbours. My mother was the daughter of a farmer. She and my dad operated a small family-owned grocery store. So, I come from humble rural roots. Part of my inspiration is also how photography developed in India historically. In the old days, when photography was an exclusive domain of the rich, dignified portraiture was reserved for royalty and colonial overlords. I try to counter that. Everyone I photograph gets a copy of their portrait, and most of the time, they are delighted with the result. Our work becomes a kind of playful theatre, where the actors play the role of themselves.<\/div>\n
\nWhen I first came to India in 1993, some of the stereotypes [I\u2019d heard] were somewhat true. Connaught Place in Delhi still had cows wandering around everywhere, and there were snake charmers on the pavement. There were hardly any cars. I remember Delhi was filled with Bajaj scooters and bicycles, and the occasional Ambassador taxi. Of course, all of this has changed dramatically, and it\u2019s become difficult to find the old India. However, there are still people who cling to the stereotypes, but I think most people in the West now have the idea that India is an advanced country that offers real competition to the West. Things and conceptions have changed on that side of the pond, too.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"