When his sepia-toned photographs of India were at risk of “trying too hard to be exotic”, the Udaipur-based American artist Waswo X Waswo altered the colour and had local artists hand-paint portions of black and white images to achieve a “constructed fantasy” – the style became his métier. Waswo’s latest solo show is a collection of photos, lithographs and objects that bear a semblance to dioramas but, unlike museums, his work “captures a slice of day-to-day existence.” He explains, “We build the backdrops, get locals to pose doing the things they do in real life, take pictures and then hand-paint them so they look fantastical – as if you’ve fallen asleep in a museum and are having diorama dreams.” His favourite? ‘Requiem for an Other’, a series of vials containing mundane things from another life. ‘
Shifting Homes 2013
'Sleeping Through the Museum' is on from May 8 at Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai. Sakshigallery.com
By Sophia Ann French May 6th, 2014
