A project where urban life intersects with rural landscapes — the collaboration between photographer Gauri Gill and Warli artist Rajesh Vangad takes the audience to places beyond their imagination, on a visual trip away from cityscapes. Creating a dialogue between two people from different walks of life, this hybrid creation amalgamates photography and indigenous Warli painting.
Fields of sight. Author's photo. All rights reserved.
In 2013, Gill was invited to an Adivasi district in Maharashtra, Dahanu, where she was to create works for a primary school. During the visit, she was welcomed by Rajesh Vangad who let her reside at his place, and later on took her to various locations which had significance in terms of folklore and political activity. The series follows the duo moving from location to location, capturing different landscapes which speak volumes. Done solely in a monochromatic palette, Gill places Vangad as the protagonist in each picture, to represent the sentiment of each location. However, the images were not simply of the Warli painter placed against the backdrop of a landscape, assuming a passive role. Instead, the images incorporate Vangad’s Warli inscriptions on top of each photograph, giving the painter a much more active role in that space.
