Inspired By
India
by Matthias Kaiser
Matthias Kaiser is an Austrian potter who uses unrefined materials for his ceramics and often exposes the process of making to give pieces a raw quality. Kaiser studied at Parsons School of Design and the University of Applied Arts in Vienna and has completed apprenticeships with master potters in Japan. He recently undertook a project in India entitled The Loyal Exports. The images are a mixture of Matthias’s personal photos taken on the trip and those taken by Bindi Sheth for the project.
“I wanted to set up a roadside stall in Junagadh and sell a special selection of pots at very local prices, one or two dollars a piece, then follow up with a photographic documentary about the customers and their dwellings. But Junagadh is so remote, so I compromised and decided on Bombay for the venue. The Kala Ghoda festival initially invited me, but then pulled out. By that time I had found a photographer in India who I wanted to work with on the project. She’s from Ahmedabad (which is not too far from Junagadh, in the same state) so we ended up doing the pop-up ceramics shop there. Bindi Sheth and her family were incredibly supportive and professional, so what started as a wacky idea turned into a field trip of almost pure wonder and pleasure.”