Gurugram, Haryana, India
The limited-edition sink ‘Quila’ by Kohler’s India Design Studio is adorned with an intricate painting that Padma Shri Jai Prakash Lakhiwal created exclusively for Kohler’s Artists Editions series, blending art with utility by turning a functional object into a work of art.
Quila has recently been awarded a 2022 Good Design Award by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
Kohler has always believed in a symbiosis of art and design.
The bathroom fixture manufacturer has a long history of collaborating with artists globally.
For the last five decades, Kohler’s Arts/Industry program has been providing artists with an opportunity to get exposed to the industrial process and the real-world, expand their creative boundaries, and use Kohler’s technical knowledge to bring their vision to life.
With their Artist Editions spanning the last ten years, they have shifted the spotlight to rich artist traditions around the world.
With each Artist Edition, the aim is to make traditional arts more accessible to people in their fast-paced modern lifestyles.
India is a land of rich culture, art, and history.
It is a treasure-trove of arts, architecture, sculpture, music, textiles, and painting.
Culturally, India has always been one with nature, so for the flagship India Artist Edition, the designers had a clear idea that a visual storytelling must be built around that.
After a collaborative 10-day workshop with expert artists from traditions across India, Kohler zeroed in on Miniature Painting for the layers and layers of exquisite details that are the hallmark of this form.
With Padma Shri Jai Prakash Lakhiwal they found the perfect blend of art and artist to bring the story of Miniature Paintings to life and highlight the richness of lndian culture.
Landscapes in the Rajasthan region abound with vast and varied foliage using multiple shades of green, hillocks, and water bodies in tune with nature are stylistically depicted both inside and outside the fort boundaries.
This is Quila: a limited edition artwork created by Mr JaiPrakash in partnership with Kohler.
Quila will have 100 units as a part of a limited edition of Kohler Artist edition while Quila Vana will continue to graciously curate consumer bathrooms.
The rich hues, all made with natural and organic pigments, boast an attention to each individual blade of grass, each eyelash on each character.
The world of Miniature Paintings is a kaleidoscope of history, scriptures, and the lives of people through the ages.
These manuscripts illustrate royal lifestyles – courtrooms, battles, hunting scenes and a life of leisure – from different dynasties since 12th Century.
Hindu mythology was a major source of inspiration for the painters from Rajasthan who received patronage from Rajput princedoms.
Miniature paintings are like music to be savoured slowly – at a distance beautiful and on closer examination, phenomenal.
It is the extremely fine brushwork that is unique to this style, so much so that the detailing is visible only through a magnifying lens.
The painting uses natural mineral colours, sometimes even gold and silver, fine handmade brushes for the very intricate detailing and even specially made paper (Vasli), lending it brilliance and smoothness.
The artist Padma Shri Jai Prakash Lakhiwal has been inspired by the styles of the Kota (Rajasthan) and Kangra (Pahari) regions.
When dealing with a piece of art like Quila, one must work with a certain degree of reverence and respect.
Each piece is hand-decorated by experts which takes at least four to five hours.
After this, it’s only fitting that each of the 100 pieces is marked with its own unique number, and comes with an authenticity certificate like any other exquisite piece of art.
Project: Quila
Designers: Kohler India Design Studio
Artist: Padma ShriJai Prakash Lakhiwal
Manufacturer: Kohler India Corporation Pvt. Ltd.
