Ramesh Gorjala

About Ramesh Gorjala

Born in 1979, in Kalahasti, Andhra Pradesh, to a family of weavers, Ramesh Gorjala learnt the traditional Kalamkari art as a child from his uncle, Balaji Theertham, a national-award-winning Kalamkari artist. Gorjala's art reflects the early impressions of being in the midst of an art practiced for generations in his village, where there is a depiction of the mythological characters and stories on textile parchments as well as walls and scrolls. The hues and colours found in Gorjala's paintings are also a testimony to this early influence: earthy reds and greens interspersed with washed browns and sandalwood shades. These combinations are inspired by the Kalamkari tradition. Ramesh Gorjala was inspired by the figures of Indian epics, and one can trace his use of recurring mythic figures in his art, like Vishnu, Krishna, Hanuman and Kamadhenu, among others. But his depictions of these epic figures include a dense combination of multiple narratives, figures and texts within the main icon.

Ramesh Gorjala's art reflects a South Asian ethos. His collectors include Beyonce and Narendra Modi, who commissioned him for a depiction of Kamadhenu, the symbol of wealth, joy and luck, in Gorjala's signature style.