Born in Srikalahasti, Andhra Pradesh, in 1979, Ramesh Gorjala studied at Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University in Hyderabad, where he received his Bachelor’s degree in painting. His work focuses on traditional Indian heritage and culture, through sensitive and detailed mythological portrayals of various Indian gods and goddesses.
Gorjala works with a delicate and intricate technique, portraying his spiritual take on the subjects of Indian mythology through both his imagery and his process. His use of a palette dominated by gold, red and green creates a very rich and natural feel in each of his paintings, and the moods that he is able to create and convey add an antiquated yet contemporary dynamic to his work. His subjects, mainly the gods, goddesses and mythical forms of the South Asian pantheon, include Hanuman, Vishnu and Buddha, and are all painted with great sensitivity and attention to detail. Gorjala does not necessarily restrict himself to a single, large protagonist in his pieces. Instead, he integrates subjects, mixing not only one figure, but multiple images all unified into a broader character. This is sometimes brought together by fragments of text, usually in the background of his surfaces, adding a new dimension to them. Another repeated element in his work is the checkerboard pattern of black and shades of white and grey in the background, adding a noel and modern twist to pieces that have a largely traditional and spiritual feel.
Gorjala’s work has won him various awards, including the 2000 Mahatma Gandhi Birth Centenary Memorial Award from the Victoria Technical Institute (V.T.I.), Chennai, and the 2002 State Award from the A.P. Crafts Council. The artist has had many solo exhibitions and participated in various group shows in India and abroad. Some of his solo shows include 'Mythological Metaphor' at Chawla Art Gallery, New Delhi, in 2010; ‘Embracing Modernity’ at Mon Art Gallerie, Kolkata, in 2007; and earlier ones in Hyderabad and Bangalore. Group shows including his works have been held in Mumbai, New Delhi, Jaipur, Chennai, Bangalore and London.
