Etching a Mark

Vinay Gusain is that rare artist who is also an innovator and entrepreneur. Hailing from a village in Haryana, Gusain works across printmaking, video, and object-based installation, specialising in techniques such as mezzotint and aquatint. He has also created a mezzotint rocker that has traditionally been available to artists in India only as an imported product; the imported tool roughly costs ₹24,000, while Gusain's version, sold under his company name Medwa Tools, costs about half that amount.

- -Jasodhara Banerjee

Vinay Gusain (27)

Artist, printmaker

Mezzotint is a process in which a rocker—a metal tool with numerous small 'teeth'—is used to etch a metal sheet, on which ink is subsequently applied. “There needs to be about 4 teeth per millimetre of space,” explains Gusain. “I have sold about 55 pieces in the last year, including to clients in eight foreign countries, such as Japan,” says the 27-year-old, who currently lives in Faridabad. “My aim is to make art students in India aware that this tool is now available at a cheaper price than the usual foreign ones.”