Date: December 1, 2023
Venue: Infosys Foundation Gallery, Ground Floor,
Museum of Art & Photography (MAP), Bengaluru
Tickets: Free
To download high resolution images: https://tinyurl.com/wtcds-map
In a unique fusion of past and present, ‘What The Camera Didn’t See Alexander Gorlizki/Pink City Studio’, showcases the collaborative brilliance of Alexander Gorlizki and the Pink City Studio led by master miniature painter Riyaz Uddin. The exhibition takes audiences on a vibrant journey through history, reimagining the conventional boundaries of photography and traditional miniature paintings.
Have you ever wondered what’s the story behind the stoic faces in old photographs? ‘What The Camera Didn’t See’ explores the interplay between the two mediums, breathing life into these formal compositions from vintage photographs and those from the museum’s collection. Through the 23 artworks in this exhibition, Alexander Gorlizki conceptualises fantastical reimaginings of static moments by injecting a new dimension of the contemporary. While Pink City Studio adds colour and patterns into the scenes, together transforming images of royalty, common folk, architecture, and nature into whimsical narratives. ‘What The Camera Didn’t See’ transcends the rigidity of historical documentation, inviting viewers to question traditional interpretations. As ‘outside’ elements merge with the images from the past, multi-layered compositions emerge, challenging our perception of time and place.
Embrace a new perspective on the past as these faces frozen in time transform into colourful, dynamic narratives. Discover the stories and emotions hidden beyond the camera’s lens.
Join us on a captivating journey through time and imagination as we explore the depths of history and artistry in ‘What The Camera Didn’t See Alexander Gorlizki/Pink City Studio.’
In 1996, Alexander Gorlizki established an atelier with master miniature painter Riyaz Uddin in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Working alongside Riyaz Uddin, his students and assistants, the Pink City Studio has evolved over the past 27 years into an association of artists dedicated to the 700-year-old miniature tradition. While the materials, techniques and meticulous brushwork remain true to their origins, the new whimsical narratives, forms and patterns expand the boundaries to reflect a visual language spanning history, geography and cultures. Within these works, different schools of miniature paintings coexist with classical western references, pop and cartoon imagery.
Working between Brooklyn and Jaipur, Gorlizki conceptualises and meticulously maps out each composition, which is eventually realised by Riyaz Uddin and the team using jewel-coloured pigments, stone colours, and gold leaf, with the finest details applied with a single hair-tipped brush. The works on paper frequently traverse between Brooklyn and Jaipur’s Old City, over many years. Gorlizki adds to and refines the content, forms and colours, after which the works undergo further embellishment in Jaipur. The new details pass from artist to artist until the work is finally complete. This organic process allows for a wide variety of motifs, iconographies and styles to be incorporated and overlaid, pushing the boundaries of miniature painting.
Over the years, the Pink City Studio has expanded beyond the physical studio as Gorlizki works with other artists and craftspeople in the myriad creative traditions still practised in and around Jaipur. By incorporating these techniques, the boundaries between fine art, the applied arts, and design are dissolved, moving beyond the frame and onto walls, floors and furnishings. This fluid transition between figurative and abstract imagery deliberately remains open-ended, inviting viewers to construct their own meanings and interpretations, with the hope that they constantly rediscover and reinterpret the works, deriving new meanings over time.
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