“ With Studio Kishangarh my endeavour has been to not just create contemporary miniatures, but also develop the art in a sustainable, natural manner.”
Kishangarh, located off the Jaipur highway on a fast-lane expressway, is a harmonious blend of sophisticated and rural India. You’ll find yourself in the centre of a dated, timecapsuled urban community with the usual shades of Rangilo Rajasthan as you exit the highway. Rajasthan is known for its architecture, dunes, forts, haveli and other attractions, but Kishangarh is notable for the Kishangarh school of painting. As evidenced by its popularity on Instagram, the Marble dumping ground is now well-known among the younger population. Except for Kishangarh miniature painting and its artists and patrons, I knew very little about Kishangarh. I suppose we are all uninformed of many things at some time in our life, just as I was unaware of Kishangarh fort, Phool Mahal Palace, and Studio Kishangarh. In March 2022 at the invitation of Vaishnavi Kumari (Princess of Kishangarh), I visited the Phool Mahal Palace for the Exhibition preview of “PATH OF GRACE”, a solo exhibition on Kishangarh miniatures at Kishangarh, Rajasthan. From April 28 to May 5, 2022, this exhibition will further be exhibited in the Bikaner House in Delhi, India’s capital city.
Image courtesy: Studio Kishangarh
A drive along the Gondulav Lake towards the Kishangarh Fort takes you to the picturesque Phool Mahal Palace, the summer home of the erstwhile royal family and today a quaint, little heritage hotel, which is also a perfect show-case of Princess Vaishnavi Kumari’s experiments with miniature art. The Maharaja of Kishangarh built Phool Mahal Palace in 1870 as a royal monsoon retreat. At present, it functions as a boutique hotel in the heart of the city, where visitors are treated with the same warmth and respect as royalty. Phool Mahal is where you can witness Kishangarh’s renowned miniature paintings come to life. Each area of the palace is designed in such a way that it resembles a painting on which you may walk. Every room in the Phool Mahal has a view of the lake, with a few ethnic elements like arches and jharokhas.
For this exhibition, the Princess joined hands with Safir Anand, the author of Chrysalis and the creative brain behind many of India’s most well-known brands, delivering advice on brand strategy, business models, marketing, and economic insights,..
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