About the Artist

Bio

Gaya Chandrasekaran is a London-based contemporary artist. She was born in the southern Indian city of Chennai on the shores of the Bay of Bengal, a vibrant city where centuries-old traditions live in delightful harmony with rapid modernization. She grew up surrounded by bright and jubilant sounds and colors that have consistently inspired her creative pursuits. She loves learning new techniques and trained in India as well as in the UK at Slade School of Art.

She spent the past decade in corporate and investment banking in London. The meticulous approach from her banking career carries over into her art practice, where she employs deep precision in her textured artworks. Gaya has exhibited widely in London including at the London Business School and Santander Corporate & Investment Banking, with publication in the Artist Talk Magazine, UK. She held her first solo exhibition in London in 2018 and has since exhibited across the USA, Europe, and Asia in both physical and digital formats.

Statement

My artworks are based on the themes of Quest, Soliloquy, Rebirth and Nirvana. These themes reflect key life moments and are an expression of my thoughts, emotions, sensations, and experiences. As I reflect on and synthesize my experiences, floodgates open for new creative ideas. I record these ideas and refer to them for inspiration. I am strongly influenced by the exuberant colors and patterns of my childhood home in India.

I start my canvas with an idea of what I’d like to see, not entirely sure of the end result. I prime the surface, create broad outlines of shapes, and arrange the color palette for ready use. I then let the process take over and evolve. When I use images as reference, I tend to use their abstracted versions as a starting point. I work extensively with acrylics. Creating textured art is an intensely tangible experience that brings the artwork alive for me. I use palette knives for layering and mixing heavy body acrylics with gel mediums. I also use gold leaf quite regularly as I am drawn to the color of gold, a powerful symbol of abundance. I continue working until I feel excitement and can embrace the artwork unconditionally. The whole process consistently feels cathartic, infusing me with a deep sense of joy and fulfillment.

I have come to realize that much of individual experience is shared. I intend to give voice to such universal experiences and themes. These include our search for meaning, the constant inner dialogue, endings and beginnings, and the spiritual lessons - some more poignant and difficult - that we learn throughout our lives.

Artist Review

“The sun striking our faces as it crests the horizon or lighting up a, mountainside and giving it a golden glow. There’s a beauty and joy that comes from observing these events that’s hard-wired into all of us, whether that be people living today or the very first humans that observed it. It makes us feel closer to nature but also humbled when gazing at the beauty of the world around us.

By recreating such scenes in thick colours or by using gold leaf, a material associated with wealth, the works of Gaya Chandrasekaran feel like a love letter to the natural world around us. Incorporating couplets from the Tirukkural, a sacred and centuries old text, alongside the mountains in her works it reminds us that these mountains and landscapes are sentinels that have watched over the entirety of human history and will still be here long after we’re gone - they deserve both our awe and respect. “ by Tabish Khan (Renowed London Art Critic)

“Gaya Chandrasekaran's exquisite collection of artworks orchestrates a harmonious blend of texture, color, and emotive prowess, captivating the senses and beckoning the viewer into a realm of profound contemplation. The artist's oeuvre is distinguished by a daring exploration of impasto technique, wherein the application of paint is executed with such audacity that the viewer is immediately captivated by the discernible knife or brush strokes. This deliberate choice bestows upon each artwork a remarkable three-dimensional quality, allowing it to command a tangible presence within the realm of visual perception. The artist's masterful manipulation of texture beckons the viewer to engage with the artwork on a multisensory level, transcending the boundaries of mere visual perception.” by Marta Puig (Editor, Contemporary Art Curator Magazine)

https://www.contemporaryartcuratormagazine.com/home-2/gayathrisai-gaya-chandrasekaran

Exhibitions & Awards

2018: Curated First Solo Physical Exhibition @ Santander UK Plc, sold 70% of artworks raising funds for AgeUK

2019: Won Special Commendation from David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation for painting titled ‘The Golden Lion’ (oil on canvas)

2021: Conceptualized the idea of an Art Exhibition within the London Business School community culminating in the first-ever Art Week in 2021; selected paintings were part of the online exhibition and she was a speaker of the Artists Panel.

2022:
Physical Exhibition @ ‘Cosmologies’ of The Holy Art Gallery (Jul-22) near Dalston, London.
Solo Virtual Exhibition with The Holy Art Gallery from Sep/Oct-22.
Physical Exhibition @ Boomer Gallery’s New Artists Third Edition Exhibition (Aug-22) near Tower Bridge, London.
Publication in the Artist Talk Magazine Issue 22 (Nov-22)

2023:
Publication in the Artist Talk Magazine Issue 23 (Jan-23)
Digital Exhibition at Times Square, NYC, USA via Artist Talk Magazine (Jun-23)
Digital Exhibition at Times Square, NYC via Plogix Gallery (Aug-23)

Digital Exhibition at Swiss Art Expo, Zurich (6-10 Sep 2023) via Artboxy

Digital Exhibitions at Nicoleta Gallery, Berlin, Germany / Andakulova Gallery, Dubai, UAE / Casa del Arte, Palma, Spain / Thompson Gallery, Zug, Switzerland / Andie Art Gallery, Athens, Greece (Oct-Dec 2023) via Artboxy 

Digital Exhibition at Spectrum Art Fair, Miami Art Basel Week, Miami, Florida, USA, (6-8 Dec 2023) via Artbox Projects

Online Gallery Representation: Plogix Gallery, Saatchi Art

Special Mention

‘The Golden Lion’ July 2019: David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation’s #Sketchforsimba Competition

Past Exhibitions

Digital Exhibition @ Times Square, New York City, 22nd Jun 2023

Online Exhibition @ The Holy Art Gallery, London, 22nd Oct - 21st Nov 2022

Physical Exhibition @ Boomer Gallery, London (near Tower Bridge) 5th-10th Aug 2022

Physical Exhibition @ The Holy Art Gallery, London (near Dalston) 8th-14th Jul 2022

Online Exhibition @ London Business School (LBS) Art Week Website & chosen speaker of LBS Artists Panel, April 2021

Physical Solo Exhibition @ Santander, Triton Square, London, May 2018

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