FEATURE
D e SI T o DAY S P E C I A L
Rajesh Vora, from the series Everyday Monuments, 2014–19, inkjet prints, dimensions variable. Photos courtesy of artist and PHOTOINK, New Delhi
RAJESH VORA
Capturing Intriguing Punjab’s Rooftop sculptures Rajesh Vora is Mumbai based photographer and has documented these sculptural water tanks and exhibited photographs of them at PHOTOINK, New Delhi (2016). Vora graduated in 1979 from the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, India. He has been professionally photographing for over thirty years with a focus on architectural related subject matter. 20
APR / MAY 2022 News With A Desi View
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his spring, Surrey Art Gallery is hosting the photography exhibition Rajesh Vora: Everyday Monuments from April 9 to May 29. Since 2014, Mumbai-based photographer Rajesh Vora has documented domestic sculptures mounted on rooftops in the northwestern Indian state of Punjab that tell a story of identity, diaspora, family, and culture. Made from rebar, wire mesh, cement, and paint, many of these intriguing objects
serve as functional water tanks. While Greater Vancouver has a Punjabi population established more than a century ago, it was during the latter half of the twentieth century that an increasing number of Punjabi villagers migrated to other parts of the world. Canada was one of their chosen destinations. Many return to India for seasonal visits, keeping close ties with families remaining in the villages and helping to finance the making www.desitoday.ca
