Gaya Chandrasekaran

Gaya Chandrasekaran is an award-winning, London-based contemporary artist whose practice bridges the vivid cultural memory of her upbringing in Chennai, India, with the contemplative stillness of her life in the UK. Trained at the Slade School of Fine Art, her work has received international recognition through major honours including the VAA Art100 International Art Prize, the Collectors Art Prize | Art Legends of Our Time, and the Persona Art Honours.

At the centre of her work is a deeply personal exploration of connection. For much of her life, she experienced a sense of not quite belonging, a quiet distance that became the starting point for her practice. Painting evolved into a way of turning towards these emotions, understanding them, and translating them into form. Over time, this led to a simple but powerful realisation: the feelings we experience most privately are often the ones that connect us most deeply.

Working in textured acrylic, Chandrasekaran builds sculptural surfaces using palette knives, heavy-body pigments, and gold leaf. Her process is intuitive and layered, shaped by gesture, rhythm, and material. Often inspired by movement and time spent in nature, her work reflects an ongoing dialogue between the externa...

I trained in art both in India and in London, including at the Slade School of Fine Art.

My artistic practice has evolved through a combination of formal training, independent study, experimentation, and sustained studio practice. Over the years, I have developed a distinctive textured painting technique using palette knives, heavy-body acrylics, sculpting gels, and gold leaf to create layered contemporary landscapes with sculptural depth.

Alongside my artistic practice, I have also worked in corporate and investment banking. The intersection of these worlds has influenced the emotional and conceptual foundations of my work, particularly my exploration of identity, transformation, resilience and human connection.

2018:

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

2019:

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

2021:

1. 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:

1. Physical Exhibition @ ‘Cosmologies’ of The Holy Art Gallery (Jul-22) near Dalston, London.

2. Solo Virtual Exhibition with The Holy Art Gallery from Sep/Oct-22.
3.
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:

1. Publication in the Artist Talk Magazine Issue 23 (Jan-23)
Digital Exhibition at Times Square, NYC, USA via Artist Talk Magazine (Jun-23)

2. Digital Exhibition at Times Square, NYC via Plogix Gallery (Aug-23)

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

4. Digital Exhibitions at Nicoleta Gallery, Berlin, Germany / Andakulova Gallery, Dubai, UAE / Casa del Arte, Palm...