Rickshaw Wallah

Rickshaw Wallah's subject, the exotic hand-pulled and cycle rickshaws of India and Bangladesh, is presented through a straightforward taxonomy, These images depict the artful machines and the human power behind them while providing a working narrative in which to reflect on our own modernity. . These images illuminate the individual driver’s personality in vivid color through the saturated and ornate lacquer embellishments that decorate each rickshaw. Some images are completely isolated from the street environment by a white seamless backdrop that helps the eye focus on the art and architecture of the rickshaw by removing it from the surrounding chaos. It is the chaos of the urban Indian landscape that obfuscates the beauty of the folk art. These images are complimented by theatrical portraits of the rickshaws and the men themselves that pull back just a little bit of the curtain to reveal the almost theatrical event of the photography itself. Through these two complimentary photographic narratives, the work aims to highlight the artistic traditions and the humanity of the men and their vocation