Projects Created at Farm Studio and Testimonials
Leila Eguino – Bolivia/USA
Farm Studio was an unforgettable blend of creativity, friendship, and introspection. There is something incredibly special about the routine of life in Andore. It fosters a rare freedom for artists to explore subconscious themes and ideas. Because of this unique pace of life, I was able to approach painting without constraints, which allowed me to create a mural from a place of genuine curiosity and cultural immersion. Consistent encouragement was offered by the villagers, fellow artists, and residency organizers. I couldn’t have taken on such a large project without their kindness and support!
Nai Nai – Taiwan
Time at Farm Studio was truly magical. Surrounded by a unique natural environment and witnessing the cultural landscape of Andore, this experience offered me a completely different way of living. It was here that I first worked with ceramics, built my own kiln, and connected with the village and artists worldwide. The many influences I encountered have greatly changed the themes and materials of the art I create.
Olivia Sage Hamilton – USA
In rural Rajasthan I found myself in a quiet conversation with the transcendent & untamed flora. As I roamed among the green growth, these secret storytellers, the plants themselves, lifted the curtain to a concealed kingdom of emerald echos. My gouache paintings emerged from the delicate tension between timeless silence and the vivid urgency of color, holding this vegetation in suspended existence: glossy leaves flickering in midday sunlight, wilted petals, tangled vines, swirling amidst infinite skies. They are at once deeply local and cosmically connected, rooted in the soil yet drifting far beyond the tangible world.This is a place you’ve never been. Or perhaps you have. There are no tourists here, no fast-moving crowds, just the deliberate dance of nature and earthly reverberations. In a place where every leaf speaks in dialects of green I attempted to render the texture of heat, the vegetal constellations, the contours of this language. I enter the conversation as one who listens, interprets, and perhaps, in some small way, understands…
Lara Hattingh – South Africa
My attendance at Studio Farm International Art Residency has been marked by experimentation & exploration. The influence of the environment, community and other talented artists moved me to try new mediums, methods and subjects during my one month stay. Being fully open to new influences and exploring all that Andor and its nearby cities have to offer made an irreversible impact on both my artistic practice and personal growth. The October 2024 residency culminated in the AAKADO group show and the inauguration of the Hinge Arts Space in Andor. It was truly meaningful to be a part of these events and to form such close bonds with the community, our hosts and my fellow artists.
Irjaliina Paavonpera – USA
The time at Farm Studio was an incredible opportunity for immersion in the village of Andore and surrounding farmlands. Although my physical work is photography, I consider culture immersion and connection part of my art practice. My days were spent walking through the farms and village meeting and interacting with the local community. I have a great interest in the different ways we live around the world. I focused primarily on portraiture photography with an intention to get to know the community I was photographing on a deeper level. A core memory from the time at Farm Studio was one of my final days in Andore, watching the Rabari women pile into truck beds in the village center. With little knowledge of where they were off to and how the day would unfold, I joined them and was welcomed, quite literally with open arms, to spend a day visiting temples, singing bhajans and experiencing pure womanhood. Those experiences were the kind that influenced the photography I was practicing during the residency and are the stories about the vibrancy of culture and people, especially women, that I want to portray in my photographs. Spending time with the local people, despite the huge language barriers, as well as conversations with Monique, Vaga and the fellow residents led to massive shifts in my world view and the way I photographed the community of Andore. It was a time of profound learning and even more so, unlearning much of what is taught to Western society about India.
Goran Tomcic – Berlin
Goran Tomcic worked on implementing a new addition to his project “Pompom Nets.” This is an ongoing process-based participatory art project and social experiment, which researches the aesthetics of uncertainty. The project creates temporary situations and site-specific installations. During his residency at Farm Studio, Tomcic worked on “Pompom Nets – Sirohi,” which included workshops with children at Hinge Arts Space (Andore) and with school children at SP Nurture school in Sirohi. Along with other performative practices, the project was also temporarily installed at a nearby pomegranate farm, and on a dead tree near the road connecting Andore and Farm Studio.
Hsien Ni Ping – Taiwan
During the art residency I explored the similarities and differences from Taiwan and India. In the beginning, I went to the village to do a mural painting every day. On the way, I was inspired by both sides’ plants of the farm and the road was filled with mud. I felt deeply touched by the great simplicity, natural and traditional family warm life from the village. In these years, I created the representative graphic ‘Precious Bao’ of myself and my country, and it is also as the symbol of women and free will. The peacock is regarded as the holy bird in India. Therefore, the peacock graphics are developed as the main visual, combined with Precious Bao in this mural. Through the interaction method of making this work ‘Nourish’ – mixed media on canvas – with village kids, and it represents I and villagers get together and try to make this place more vibrant and vivid. Finally, each mud-made Precious Bao represents the different characters I saw and the connection to the land.
Helen O’Connor – Canada
At Farm Studio I worked in the open studio spaces exploring processes for hand papermaking, weaving, assemblage and bookbinding for artist books. The sights and sounds of the natural surroundings fed my creativity – birds, peacocks, pigeons and parrots mixed with dogs barking, farm machines, goats and cattle, sounds of worship, crickets, and farmers. For me a constant reminder of place and inspiration. Daily I explored the area on foot for plant fibre collecting samples of plants and in doing so came to know the rocky dry landscape and animals, as well as the unique peoples, culture and foods of the region. The children and people I came across offered waves, smiles, curiosity and chai. I often walked into the closest village of Andore past fields of caster oil, pomegranate and cotton meeting wandering cows, goat herds, buffalo and farm workers. Farm Studio site felt like a sanctuary for creativity, a place to regroup, make, explore, learn some things about myself and others, be inspired and challenged – a rich and once in a lifetime experience. Highlight experiences include connecting with other international artists, spending time with the pottery family in Andore, teaching a workshop to youth, chai shop in Andore, Kali Temple hike, sewing my book structure with handmade papers and locally made mud printed wedding cloth, all the home cooked meals at Farm Studio and finding a turtle with Iza.
Edgar Massegú – Catalonia
Edgar Massegú created a ‘textile mural’ on a public neoclassical building on a main street in Andore village, using the same fabrics and colours used in India for wedding celebrations, and playing with the symmetry of the building itself. He was inspired by the star shapes made of fabrics by the colourful decorations in various temples he visited in the Sirohi district. Local villagers became part of the work as they passed by as ‘photo collage’. He also held a solo exhibition ‘Akash Ganga’ in Hinge Arts Space which featured a large sculpture inspired by the firewood that the women of Andore carry balanced on their heads and the colour of the piece was inspired by the women’s bright clothing. He also displayed 50 drawings made in New York, Italy and India which represent the equal relationship of what is hidden both on a microscopic and a macroscopic level. During the days of the exhibition Edgar drew portraits of many people who came to the art gallery and gifted them to each sitter.
Charlotte Herben – France
One of my latest works made in India, “Angakhra”, is an 18th century maharajah’s costume knit from plastic bags. This piece, measuring 180 x 180 cm questions the relationship between luxury and waste, between tradition and modernity. It invites one to reflect on the transformation of materials, values and the environment. Practices related to textiles and clothing occupy a special place in the history of art, as they have for long been one of the few ways of expression of art for women, with a few exceptions. Embroidering, knitting or sewing were not only gestures of survival or economic necessity, but also practices that brought a form of inner peace and serenity. These gestures help calm the mind, establish a form of meditation, and be more receptive to the environment. I’ve designed an armour made of porcelain chain mail, a shaman’s coat knitted from newspaper and a maharajah’s dress made from plastic bags. These creations are reflections on humanity, nature, ecology, as well as on the role and condition of women in society. The contrasts between the plastic waste that litters the ground and the evocation of the wealth of the maharajas allow me to give meaning to my work, by offering a critical look at our world and our way of life.
Taïne Gras – France
Coming to Farm Studio for an art residency was a unique opportunity for me to create a piece that would allow me to connect with a local community and explore the codes of a culture radically differently from my Western background and build genuine human connections. At Farm Studio, far from the reach of globalized modernity, life follows the gentle pace of the sun’s first rays warming the cool morning air, daily walks of 2 kilometres to the village, and admiring the vibrant green fields growing a little more each day. A simple life, guided by the rhythm of the nature with an open and supportive community where creating is synonymous with serenity. Farm Studio offers the opportunity to connect with foreign artists, to share enriching exchanges, authentic moments, and collective walks. Monique and Vaga, always attentive and kind, ensure smooth logistics and foster creativity. During the residency I was able to immerse myself in the life of a village and, for a brief moment, become one of its inhabitants. My objective was to involve the villagers in my final performance event of the residency; a moment of sharing symbolized by a collective meal. For this, I had to work with merchants and artisans, learn their communication codes, and step out of my comfort zone to build unique relationships with each of them. The artwork entitled ‘The Story of 43 Chapatis’ culminated in an installation embodying the essence of an Indian dinner. I invited the people of the village to become the performers in this installation. Their participation created a bridge between my work and the vibrant community I encountered during my time at Farm Studio. The number 43 represents the days I spent in India. Each element of the installation corresponds to a moment, memory, or detail from my travels, imbuing the work with layers of personal meaning. This event is my way of expressing gratitude to everyone who welcomed and supported me, as well as a heartfelt farewell: “Thank you, and I’ll miss you.”
Chou Meng Yeh – Taiwan
“His (Her) Everyday. My Landmarks.” At Farm Studio, nestled between the fields and deserts near Andore village, I found myself immersed in the quiet poetry of daily life. The gentle rhythm of the locals—herding cattle, tending crops—became the canvas for my art. Abandoning my initial plans, I embraced a new direction: stitching my reflections into words. Through embroidery, I wove Indian phrases in Hindi full of meaning and memory. For them, these words carried stories; for me, they became a tapestry of wonder, a dreamlike reflection of life as an outsider sees it. Children from the village brought their own magic, translating words into simple, intuitive drawings—mountains, birds, and cows etc.—like ancient symbols etched by curious hands. Their joy became mine as their lines found a home in my thread. Art became a shared language, sewing together worlds once distant but now beautifully entwined.
Judy Sanchez – USA
Photography offers the unique opportunity and challenge to visualize and present abstractions, using the most basic elements of design. While India is well known for its breathtaking colors, these images instead explore the more subtle tones, organic forms, and exquisite light that reflect the peace and contemplative atmosphere provided by the village of Andore and Farm Studio. Deeply inspired by my love for the colors and flavors of India, I have also been experimenting while here at Farm Studio with using both fresh and powdered turmeric for making a light-sensitive paper for printing. This paper reacts to sunlight much like photographic paper does, although it requires very long exposure times. As I am new to this process, I am creating images with objects from nature, such as flowers, leaves, and feathers, as well as words and designs cut out from leaves or paper to establish what works best with this process and my imagination. The results so far have provided a lovely range of colors from light yellow to deep orange and even purple, a true reflection of the colors of India.
Iida Keskinen – Finland
A visual artist and writer from Finland and based in Germany, Iida draws inspiration from the natural and cultural environments around her. In Farm Studio, she made mixed media paintings combining the traditional symbology from Tarot-cards to the symbology found in the temples of Andore, as well as the natural environment surrounding the village and the traditional crafts of Rajasthan region. In addition to the finished work, she spent her time in Farm Studio making countless drafts, notes and sketches that would inform her later work.
Jade Dogan – Turkey / UK
Since arriving at Farm Studio, the colours, the landscape, local culture, glimpses of life, art and poetry have greatly inspired my process. My experimentation has focused on colour, shade and texture as well as dreams and daydreams I have been having. Painting, I have realised is a form of meditation for me. I have found a freedom in experimenting with different materials and in having space to create. Once I let go of reins, and surrendered to the process, I have been letting the painting speak and trying to inject as little of myself as possible, whilst contemplating fragments of folklore, poetry and mythologies of India. Additionally, I have focused on using art as a therapeutic process, which has enabled me to follow my intuition, embrace the struggle of creating, and bypass conscious decision making. To me the work has resulted in a layering, and building up of traces and impressions. The works are still in process, but wanted to show them to honour that and the time spent here.
Martina Coyle – Ireland
My time spent at Farm Studio was a wonderful balance of immersive research, creativity and restorative unwinding. I spent my time researching / exploring the local landscape and cultural traditions in and around Andore village. Being in nature, walking in the desert, through fields, to the village, meeting local people and spending time with other artists was equally inspiring and enriching. The idyllic set-up of accommodation, studio space, gallery exhibition space, and incredible local food in a beautiful setting was liberating. Vaga, being from the area, generously provided access and insights to local and Indian culture in general, which was invaluable. Both Vaga and Monique provided great support and the perfect level of involvement in the development and exhibition of my work, for which I am most grateful. I created and exhibited a new body of work in Hinge Arts Space gallery titled ‘Can Such Things Be?’ made entirely from natural materials forming a hybrid plant and bird installation. The inclusion of the Odani (veil) in the installation speaks of the marriage of elements; the practice of hanging clothes on trees to show devotion to a sacred tree, and to connect the present life with the next. It was an incredibly insightful experience. I feel personally enriched and my practice has evolved through the time spent there. The quietness, noisy nature sounds, space to read, reflect and experiment at my own pace was joyful. Special mention to Iza who brought me walking in the desert, collecting materials with his sixth sense and eagle eye, and to the other residency artists who were a pleasure to be with!
Hugo Marek – Czech Republic
My multimedia practice involves reinterpreting and remixing musical, architectural and generally cultural information from the real world into the “Zbuling” (a fictional world) philosophy. At Farm Studio I continued evolving the cultural elements of Zbuling inspired by the many enriching plateaus of Indian culture – from fabrics and architecture, to music and way of life. I have inscribed these lessons into multiple drawings: composite plants made out of floral elements from local landscapes, Jodhpur’s geometries bended in a fluid space, or local musical rhythms visualised in biotic chains. I interioralized new cultural elements that will from now on dwell in the fantastical lands of Zbuling, and morph with the western ones. I also discovered local musicalities through several magical moments, be it with the musicians or with energetic kids eager to dance and sing. It was so rewarding for me to experience these musical situations and understand a little bit more how the rhythms swing and how music is used in social situations. My future music-composition path is going to be surely influenced by these experiences.
Mireille Schermer – Netherlands
I feel deeply grateful for the warm, inspirational and nourishing month I spent in the village of Andore with Monique, Vaga, Iza, and our wonderful supporting group of artists. The healing powers of nature is the central theme in my body of work as a nature artist and in the authentic and friendly village I found all possibilities to reflect on this theme, and develop new work. I started from open playfulness; meeting people, following some lessons with a local potter Ramesh Kumar, making sketches, turmeric prints with Judy, samples in the traditional gobar technique, and pop up trash gods. The presence of holy cows everywhere around us inspired me to make a design for a traditional gobar mural and together with Cor we worked on the wall of Ramu’s house during our stay. Every day we enjoyed working with the clay, dung and natural pigments to colour the tree, and interacting with the many villagers passing bye every day to have a chat, witness the process, to encourage us and to make many selfies! Using gobar to me was all about rethinking the possibilities of cow dung for construction and reconnecting with nature’s healing powers. Not only the dung provides a healthy ambiance with its antifungal, antibacterial and breathing capacities, so does the Banyan tree sculpted and painted on the mural. The Banyan provides medicine, oxygen and new energy. The healing Bhudi mudra for water and purity hidden in its leaves, handprinted in the relief. Step by step a mural temple developed, with tiny holes and platforms to leave a small offerings. When the mural was finished the neighbourhood gathered at the wall of Ramu’s house to make a ritual of placing objects onto the mural – the elders started with fire in the roots of the tree, then the generations after them with their favourite tiny gods, and the children finished the ritual by adding marigolds in the tiny holes after that. This month was truly magical, heartwarming and unforgettable!
Cor Nelis – Netherlands
My residency at Farm Studio was all about connection, playfulness and warmth. I feel intensely grateful for the opportunity to stay and work in Andore Village. I met the most helpful and sweetest people who shared their connection with the land with me. I made photographs of these villagers holding their most precious and meaningful gifts of nature. The collected treasures of the Eastern wind direction will be added to the treasures of the West (a project based on prayer flags blowing in the wind, on the medicine wheels of indigenous peoples all over the world, and on the four wind directions). In Hinge Arts Space I exhibited both the photographs and Mother Earth’s phrases in Dutch (my mother tongue), English, and Hindi in a digital presentation. During the residency Mireille and I also worked on a gobar mural in the village where we learnt from the villagers about the old ways; the making of a relief in cow dung and mud/clay. It was incredibly rich to be visited by villagers every day during our weeks working on the wall. We made friends, not only with Vaga, Monique, Iza, and the artists but also with the villagers. I look back on a life changing wonderful experience!
Eva Šuhájková – Czech Republic
My time spent at Farm Studio has been deeply inspiring, especially for having the chance of being in such a proximity to the local everyday life, being fully absorbed in the Rajahstan’s culture. India has so many cultural treasures, that the inspiration and fascination seems to be an endless well. My ongoing interest in textiles and fabrics has expanded during my stay exponentially. I felt like Alice in Fabricland! So many different techniques, materials, colours, patterns feeding my soul with so much nutritious joy and curiosity leading to further artistic explorations and experimentation. My work finds much inspiration in the treasures of collective unconscious hidden fe in dreams, ancient symbols, mythologies and storytelling. I work across media to make use of colours, patterns and forms to create large-scale painterly/textile installations. During the residency I chose to create a triptych of “wall hangings” combining the materiality with the symbolic elements, which stood out for me strongly. 1st of the hangings represents the ever-present joy, the second fertility and the third is taking inspiration from the architectural elements found in the Rajasthani palaces and forts. They create transparent windows, inviting us in, and offering us the opportunity to look also below and beyond the surface. As sometimes on the other side there can be a whole new world.
Alexi Marshall – UK
Arriving at Farm Studio, I came armed with watercolors, pencils, and small paper pads, determined to work on a small scale. Once I arrived in India and soaked up the vibrancy and beauty of Andore, all pre-made plans fell to the wayside. Immediately, I was captured by the village and knew that I wanted to work amongst it, with its people, the cacophony of sounds, monkeys, kids, dogs, elders – all of it. And despite my pre-trip plans I ended up working on a larger scale than ever, creating and painting my first mural. I have had a long-time obsession with pomegranates – they appear frequently in my work. Right behind the residency at Farm Studio, a pomegranate field stretches out, seemingly endless. Not only was I surrounded by the ‘anar’ – it was also in season. I felt the fruit was calling to me again. Each morning I would leave the serenity of Farm Studio and walk along the road to Andore, and return just after sunset. Working in the village was amazing, a decision I will never regret. Hot, loud, and overwhelming at first, but after a couple days I felt myself attune to the rhythm of the village.I noticed the same cows trudging past at the similar times each day, the route the monkeys would take as they darted across the rooftops, I learned the names of the gang of kids who would entertain, distract, and assist me daily. The elders, who came each afternoon, would break their watchful silence to point out where I had ‘missed a bit.’ To witness and become a temporary part of the ecosystem of Andore was truly the most rewarding part of my trip. I chose to paint on the side of a priest’s family’s house – divinity and the sacred hold such significance in my practice, so to be in such close proximity to this was a blessing in itself. The Goswami family took such good care of me, always offering chai breaks and snacks which evolved into makeovers and family dinners. The elders came and watched every day, eventually requesting me to paint their canes, which was a special moment. One man came back three times for touch-ups! The materials I had brought for the small-scale works became materials for the children, offerings to the village. Each day I would arrive with a new selection of papers so they could work alongside me. A couple girls recreated the mural design. A pop-up art club on the platform where I painted would manifest itself daily; I would step over children creating as I tried to reach different parts of the wall. One day, a group of teenage boys, who at first seemed hesitant, all got stuck into drawing and painting. I enjoyed the expansive, participatory nature of the process as it unfurled – as painting can so often be a solitary practice. Here I was just a small part of something larger. When I painted the pomegranate, I invited the children of the village to leave their thumbprints in white paint inside each seed, so that each seed would carry the mark of a child from the village. Their participation felt important, symbolic, poetic to me — the children as seeds, the blessings. The mural is titled “Fruit of the Womb”, and it is inscribed in both English and Hindi. Towards the end of the residency, the artists of my cohort decided to put on an “art walk” through the village, which started at the casual ‘unveiling’ of the mural/pop-up stencil workshop and the completion of the the mural itself.
Aleksandra Dukat – Poland / Australia
The art residency at Farm Studio was an amazing opportunity for me, as an artist of European origin, to explore the exotic cultural cradle in a very intimate, authentic, rural setting. The series of works I created in Farm Studio is my drawing and painting documentation from the region I visited. The main part of the series is watercolour portraits of villagers. The vibrant communities from Andore and the surrounding villages inspired me to create a collection of very colourful and expressive portraits. The works are mostly based on my photographs, which were an important part of my work to capture the vibe of local lifestyle and the details of traditional fashion. I also complemented my project with outdoor drawing sessions, creating sketches of desert landscapes and village scenes. Both portraits and outdoor sketches contain inspirations from the Rajasthan culture manifesting in style and colours. This reflects how I expanded my thinking about the colour, pattern design and cultural contexts within the residency.
Panchali Sheth – Australia
My time at Farm Studio was a peaceful and enriching experience. Village life was simple, yet there was a deep warmth among the people. Their kindness and hospitality made me feel welcome from the start. Each day, I followed a steady routine—walking to the village, observing daily life, and then returning to the farm to paint and read for most of the day One of the highlights of my time there was connecting with other international artists. We shared meals, ideas, and creative energy, forming friendships that I will always cherish. Conversations with Vaga and Monique about their art practice gave me new insights and inspiration. Alongside painting, I also had the chance to try pottery. Working with clay was a meditative and grounding experience, adding a new dimension to my creative journey. The residency gave me the perfect space to focus on my art, free from distractions, and to explore new techniques. My time at Farm Studio was about more than just art—it was about connection, learning, and growth. Most of all, the friendships I made there will stay with me forever.
Sarah Michael – Netherlands
I didn’t really have a concrete plan for my work in India, not knowing what to expect, I just knew that I wanted to work together with the local potters and that worked out well!. Their work method was actually quite similar to how I work at home but then with completely different clay and equipment! I found it very interesting and thought provoking for my future work. I worked on two projects there, one painting the clay as the potters do using colors inspired by the Rajastani colorful women, and the other project, together with Sachyo Kaneko, was keeping the natural colors of the fired clay, inspired by all the cows that lived with us in the village. We called that exhibition ‘God’, to be interpreted as the beholder saw fit! The residency itself was very authentic, living as the locals do, and even though one month is not that long I really felt that I was accepted in the community. The people in the village were all so friendly and helpful, it felt like an honor to be a part of them.
Teresa Lind – USA
I went to Farm Studio having freshly made the decision to be a full time artist. Leaving distractions behind, I was hoping to find out whether the path I had been pursuing was right for me. The structure of the residency was great for me. I loved that the only expectations were the ones we put on ourselves. Monique and Vaga, also being artists, were super understanding of each artist’s need to follow their own process. It was so lovely to be among the other artists as well, finding solutions, being inspired, taking time. For me, in the end, I found such value in being in a community of accomplished artists and, in the unique space of Farm Studio, I found the importance of allowing myself grace in my own practice. What an inspirational time!
Gail McKenzie – Australia
I loved the time I spent at Farm Studio. It was an immersion into art, local culture, and delicious food with friendly, creative, and interesting fellow artists. Hosts Monique and Vaga were amazing. They provided a nonjudgmental art environment, among many other positive aspects. After a couple of weeks, I felt healthier than I had for a long time. The country life suited me! Going plein-air painting and ‘being’ in the local landscape was my intention and I did some, but my art was influenced by the vibrant colours worn by the local Rajasthani women and the bleached urban landscape and desert. I loved having time to experiment and feel my art practice taking a new direction.