Studio Oleomingus's post-colonial magical realism

Studio Oleomingus is an art practice and game studio based Chala, India, whose work explores magical realism, post-colonial landscapes, and redacted authorship. Studio founder Dhruv Jani (he/him) joined me to talk through his unique history with modern videogames, his skepticism at the necessity of systemic interaction, and how employing fictitious external authors connects Oleomingus’ work to a larger history of post-independence Indian storytellers.

You can learn more about Studio Oleomingus on their website, play their games for free on Steam or itch, and follow them on Twitter @studiooleomingu.

Dhruv’s Cool Thing to Share
Nainsukh (Amit Dutta, 2010) - a film about the artist of the same name, which recreates several of his miniature paintings with live actors

Things Discussed
The Indifferent Wonder of an Edible Place (Studio Oleomingus, 2020)
a Museum of Dubious Splendors. (Studio Oleomingus, 2018)
Dear Esther (The Chinese Room, 2008)
”No shit, video games are political. They’re conservative.” by Josh Tucker
”Anarcute, Tonight We Riot, and the Optics of Revolution”

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nathalie, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting Kritiqal on Ko-Fi.