Farangi Rang Barangi (Pyaari) Undressed!

Click on image for a better view.

Status: unfinished
Acrylic and ink on paper
28" x 50"

yup, aha, unfinished and undressed!
moving on to some next level ish!
you coming along for the ride?

Farangi Rang Barangi (Sahiba) Undressed!

Click on image for a better view.

Status: unfinished
Acrylic and ink on paper
24" x 50"

Farangi Rang Barangi (rani)

Click on image for a better view.

Farangi Rang Barangi (rani)
Acrylic and ink on paper
22" x 50"

Sumthin' to satisfy your hungry souls. Farangi Rang Barangi (rani) is finally here. Yup, ah-ha. It took a while and although this reproduction is not very good, the piece is bangin'. Enjoy.
peace

Farangi Rang Barangi

Click on image for a better view.

Status: unfinished
Acrylic and ink on paper
18" x 50"

I wanted to leave you all with something a little special before I go off to New York for a week. So although, it's not finished and the reproduction is awful, I'm still posting the first painting in a series entitled "Farangi Rang Barangi".

"Farangi" is Persian word for foreigners, but is also used in Hindi and Urdu to mean the same thing. "Rang Barangi" is a Hindi/Punjabi colloquialism that means "colourful".

This new work is about exploring the ways in which clothing and dress express otherness, difference and belonging. It is not so much about the wearer as it is about the worn. It is also a celebration of Eastern textile arts, Indian femininity, and feminist genealogies where the passing down of jewelery and clothing from grandmother to mother to daughter is an old and sacred tradition.

Stay tuned for a better repro and a finished painting soon when I return.
Peace

Shirt Tales: Experimenting with Self

In the transition from 2007 to 2008, I have been experimenting with styling and posture. The "self-portraits" above were taken for the purpose of playing with and understanding the effect of posture and colour styling on an image. They are not self-conscious "portraits" where I am trying to say something about myself, but rather like sketches from a photographic sketchbook that help me work out ideas I have for Shirt Tales.

Other than learning about the formal aspects of photography, this process of "self-portraiture" is teaching me something very interesting about myself: that I have trouble asking for help. I would like to photograph other people who are into being directed and playing dress-up for the camera so that I may develop my photography, yet I am reluctant to ask. Its amazing how following your passion helps you uncover those vulnerabilities that need tending to. I am fiercely independent, something I would like to change. What would happen if I invited someone over to take images and my shit wasn't together, as in, with the help of the other person I/we would have to learn on the fly? It would be magic. If only I would let it.

Clearly, my lesson for 2008 has begun early : )

HAPPY NEW YEAR friends!

May you call magic into your life this year!

Shirt Tales: Wardrobe Set-Up

I had the opportunity to assist in a photo shoot for a soul/jazz artist named Sacha Williamson that took place last week. Although the concept was thought through beforehand by the art director, Nep Siddhu, the shoot itself was a team effort with three photographers (including myself), an art director, a make-up artist (off-site) and the model. I set-up a temporary studio in my place with lighting and backdrop and we shot all day. It was a fantastic experience. It gave me some insight into the work involved in creating a spread for a fashion magazine or an album cover image. I will see if I can post some images from that shoot up soon.

In the meantime, I took the images above to illustrate what a wardrobe set-up for Shirt Tales (the photo project I plan to undertake) would look like. Before I work with any models, I plan to experiment with my own clothing and accessories using studio lights and various backdrops. This will make the sessions with each model that much smoother as many of the wrinkles will be ironed out, so to speak ;). While this is exciting, it is also overwhelming as in this experimental "self-portrait" stage of the project, I play all roles: art director, photographer, make-up artist, hair stylist and model. I will set up the lighting, get dressed, set my camera up on a tripod and timer release and then run into the frame. It is an arduous task indeed and all in the name of fashion (photography)! Oh and by the way, the bling and pistol above are fake! Too bad! JK!

Shirt Tales: A Photo Project

These images serve as inspiration for my first studio photography project called "Shirt Tales". Shirt Tales uses photography to capture a moment in our lives through what we wear. It is an exploration of identity, geography, cultural and class histories, migration and sexuality. The way we dress can be utilitarian, but it can also be imbued with meaning and significance about who we are, where we come from and who we want to be. I am interested in learning about why we wear what we do, what these items tell us about our lives and histories and why they are important to us.

Shirt Tales is about where we are right now, in this moment, as women who are creative, sexy, strong, beautiful and full of spirit and whose histories originate in South Asia. The photos will confound any easy reading of who we are and where we come from.

I am looking for help from studio lighting specialists, portrait photographers, and make-up artists. If that sounds like you and you are available between now and December, holla.

Above images: (L to R) MIA from ID Mag Oct07, photographer Shawn Mortensen; "Deft" from Black Book Mag Spring02, photographer Jamel Shabazz; "Lagos Calling" from Metro Pop Mag #31, photographer Clayton James Cubitt