Printmaking and Puja: An artist residency in Rajasthan – Artist Talk by Antonia O’Mahony.
Antonia, a local printmaker, will talk about her residency at a textile block printing studio in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
In her Artist Talk Antonia will cover the natural dye and print methods she learnt about from a family of traditional Bagru printers and her culminating work inspired by the daily lives of the women she encountered in Northern India.
In February last year Antonia was accepted to take a residency at Art Inn Jaipur, Artist residency and block-printing studio in Rajasthan. Having hosted over 200 artists from around the world it is run very much as a homestay giving artists a chance to learn in depth about the culture. The specialised printing studio gave her the opportunity to work with master printers while she researched and practiced. She also visited the village of Bagru, known for its specific style of block-printing and indigo, spending a day with a generational textile producer that nowadays supplies international markets, all the while preserving their traditional natural dye methods.
Antonia’s artwork often starts with drawing to make sense of what she sees around her. Because she is interested in people and narratives that weave their way through time, she also took the chance to do some budget, sometimes hair-raising, solo travel to try and reflect on this exciting country. Using images and examples of the textiles, Antonia will talk about the processes she was shown during her residency and her block-prints inspired by her observations of daily life in Northern India
