Ganpati Hegde

(b. 1974, Kumta, Karnataka) creates an imaginative world in which the natural and the fantastical coexist with the objects of contemporary life. His paintings unfold like modern fables, populated by animals, vegetation and curious fragments of everyday existence, each rendered with a sense of wonder and playful irreverence.

Caterpillars, chameleons, monkeys, birds and butterflies inhabit dense, dreamlike landscapes, sometimes accompanied by unexpected objects such as laptops, furniture and other markers of modern life. Beneath the exuberance of colour and imagery lies a gentle contemplation of the uneasy relationship between nature, human intervention and contemporary existence.

Hegde studied Drawing and Painting at the Ken School of Art and later completed his B.A. from Karnataka University. Before devoting himself fully to painting, he worked as a creative designer, an experience that contributed to the graphic precision and imaginative construction characteristic of his compositions. His work has received recognition at state, national and international levels, . Through his distinctive fusion of fantasy, humour and nature, Hegde creates an alternative universe that is simultaneously playful, surreal and quietly observant.