Why aren’t more artist x artisan collaborations acknowledged?

Copyright issues and legal infrastructure are some of the reasons, share the art fraternity. But dialogue is picking up on how best to uphold the integrity of both the artist and the artisan in a collaboration

Waswo X. Waswo’s solo booth at the 2023 India Art Fair caused a bit of a stir. His intricate paintings combined realism and elements of miniature with his brand of dry humour — from a gouache and gold on wasli paper depicting pages from a burning storybook, to a detailed five-piece suite of a train at a station. The subject matter was topical too, alluding to Godhra, M.F. Husain’s persecution, and Kalki and the Kal-Yug as metaphors for our chaotic times.

The Udaipur-based American and his collaborating team of local artisans walked in on the opening day wearing the signature white fedoras that the protagonist of his works usually dons. But, despite the display of camaraderie, there was change brewing behind the scenes. Shortly after the Art Fair, two of Waswo’s long-time collaborators left to pursue their own careers. (Their names have been withheld for legal reasons.) The catalogue featured two new names: Chirag Kumawat, a dab hand at realistic style painting, and Dalpat Jingar, a border artist and miniaturist.

“I am excited about the new collaborations, but, of course, doubtful too. What has been lost, and what has been gained?” ruminates the artist, who has exhibitions coming up in London this month, and plans in motion for a show in Mumbai next year. Incidentally, Waswo is one of the few artists who publicly validates the inputs of his artisan collaborators. The majority do not acknowledge them, treating them instead as fabricators and craftspeople.

In the dictionary, an artist is defined as “a person who creates art [such as a painting, sculpture, music, or writing] using conscious skill and creative imagination” and an artisan as “a worker who practices a trade or handicraft”. This hierarchy has been starkly visible in the art world for many years.

“It becomes hard for artists to acknowledge their [artisans’] collaboration because of copyright issues and legal infrastructure. Also, the hierarchies are already entrenched in the art world,” explains gallerist Renu Modi, the director of Espace in New Delhi who represents Waswo X. Waswo. By and large, the copyright to a collaborative artwork is held by the artist because they contribute infrastructure, finance and are usually more skilled and confident in dealing with the legal side of the issue.

Artist Arjuna Kochhar, for instance, collaborates with Kangra artisans to render his raga-based paintings in the miniature style. He works with acrylic on linen, and has fused the Kangra with the Thangka style to render non-traditional imagery, including the Buddha meditating in forests of demons and wild animals.

“When the Kangra artists mentioned that the works were getting a tremendous response, and that they were being requested to make large canvases, much like the ones that they were assisting me with, I realised that intellectual property issues need to be addressed formally, or else there would be imitation,” he says. While his intent — to incorporate the traditional arts, which have become craft because of repetition without innovation, into contemporary art — is encouraging, “if the traditional artists begin imitating our innovations and supplying replicas of these paintings, then this approach becomes problematic and non-viable”, shares Kochhar.