Raji Mahesh

Stafford, Staffordshire — nearest ocean:  Northern Atlantic
South / West / Central / East Asian Heritage

About the art

I have drawn this from my imagination based on my memory of living in and visiting developing countries. Urbanisation is the price to pay for fast development leading to inequality. I aim to show the stark difference in the everyday lives of the people living on either sides of the hedge. The highly ordered and sanitised high rise apartment blocks exist cheek by jowl with the chaos of the jhompadis or fevelas with ramshackle houses where humans and animals have to share the limited space. While the former have all modern conveniences, the latter lack basic human needs such as clean potable water and sanitation facilities. I would consider this drawing a success if the viewer pauses to think as to what we can do on an individual, community, national and international level to reduce the inequalities that prevails in the majority of the world.

About the artist

Raji Mahesh is an Indian born self taught artist, currently based in Staffordshire. She has a unique style of drawing. She combines multiple layers of colours forming a patchwork of lines that are both descriptive and decorative. Her subjects vary widely but her style of drawing remains the same throughout. Raji's drawings are a testament to how pencils can be used both as a dry media or with washes to create abundance of colours and textures resulting in images full of life and energy. She has recently expanded her subject scope by drawing fully from imagination and diving into difficult topics affecting society in her work. She has exhibited her works at several group exhibitions and has won a first price for one of her drawings at a recent competition. She is an Affiliate member of the Society Of Graphic Fine Arts and a member of the UKCPS.

https://www.chithram.org