Remya Brijesh: Seeker of Beauty in the Everyday

Remya Brijesh is an artist and art educator based in Gurugram, whose practice is deeply rooted in observation, nature, and the quiet strength of visual storytelling. A passionate teacher and keen observer of beauty in the everyday, she draws enduring inspiration from the natural world—its forms, rhythms, and colours shaping the language of her art.

Born in Ottapalam, Kerala, and raised in Attingal near Kilimanoor – the birthplace of Raja Ravi Varma – Remya’s artistic lineage is steeped in the rhythms of riverbanks and ancestral soil. Her father, the late Shri K. Chandrahasan, a distinguished painter and alumnus of the College of Fine Arts, Trivandrum, sowed the earliest seeds of her creative spirit. Today, Remya carries forward that legacy with a brush that listens as much as it speaks. Her artworks have been exhibited across India, reflecting a creative journey that honours tradition while embracing freedom and transformation.

1. What has been your journey like as an artist?  How did it all begin?

RB: Born in Ottapalam, Kerala, and raised in Attingal near Kilimanoor—the birthplace of Raja Ravi Varma— my artistic lineage is steeped in the rhythms of riverbanks and ancestral soil. My journey began in childhood, observing nature and spending time in my father’s studio, which inspired me to become an artist. My father, the late Shri K. Chandrahasan, a distinguished painter and alumnus of the College of Fine Arts, Trivandrum, sowed the earliest seeds of my creative spirit.

2. How easy or challenging was it for you to grow as an artist while living in the shadows of a distinguished artist as your father was, and then develop your own visual language? Any role models besides your father?

RB: The beginning was challenging, but with observation and dedication, everything unfolded naturally. I don’t follow a specific role model – I believe everyone is creative in their own way. I simply recognized the artist within myself and stayed committed to my passion.

3. Your themes often relate to the natural environment and the people around you. Have you considered working with or plan to work with different themes in the future?

RB: My themes mostly arise from nature and the people around me, but I remain open to new ideas. As I grow, my experiences guide me toward abstract concepts, deeper emotions, and socio-cultural narratives. Art evolves with life, and I’m excited to explore new directions.

4. Tell us something about your recent show in Bikaner House in New Delhi. What was the overarching theme of the show?

RB: ‘Voyage of the Soul’ reflects life’s journey — the people we meet, cultures we experience, and emotions we carry. Each series is connected by values like empathy and humility, as seen in my Graceful Life series. I try to display a passionate taste for vivid colours and free-flowing strokes and lines that issue forth from her brush. 

Maritime influences—the ocean, the sea, the rivers, and their backwaters—form an essential part of my visual language. The boats that traverse the backwaters of Alleppey often find their way into my large canvases, embodying the energies of waterways that are at once bustling, tranquil, and at times profoundly solitary.

For me, the boat is more than a motif; it is a metaphor for my own emotional journey. In my work, I turn away from my reflection in the water to explore an interior landscape shaped by contemplation and memory. Nature, in its abundance and vitality, becomes my source of strength and renewal. It shields me from the desolation of barren deserts, offering instead the richness of growth, resilience, and flourishing flora.

5. There is often an element of visual storytelling in your work. What is it that you wish to convey to your audience?

RB: My recent work explores the inner journey of the spirit. Each work captures moments of stillness, movement, and reflection, blending nature, human presence, and spirituality. 

Interpretations of beauty and nature are extremely personal and yet they hold something universal about them. My art is ‘omnipresent’, and it has always touched my life in one way or another i.e. from my father’s artistic influence, as he was a professional painter, to my current love for art and culture.

Moving from the self to those around me, the artworks consistently portray humanity with a sense of empathy toward the feminine, the elderly and young children, capturing their strength, and reflecting on the thoughts through my art. The old nurture the young and the young energize them in ways that only a girl who grew close to her grandparents understands. I invite viewers to pause and connect with their own inner landscapes.

6. What is your process of creating an artwork? What does art bring to you at the emotive level?

RB: My paintings express unspoken emotions — quiet reflections, connections with nature, and subtle inner energies.

7. Contemporary art has become extremely diverse and multi-disciplinary and often uses different media and materials besides the traditional ones such as painting, sculpture and print-making.  Do you welcome this trend? How would you locate your art in the contemporary landscape?

RB: My process is intuitive and begins with observation. I let ideas settle before painting, allowing the artwork to grow organically through layers of colour, texture, and movement. While I appreciate experimental media, I remain rooted in traditional painting. My art is a gentle, introspective voice in the contemporary world, focusing on memory, nature, spirituality, and the inner journey.

6. What other interests do you have besides your passion for art? To what extent do these interests influence your art? 

RB: Outside of art, I love observing nature, travelling, meeting people, and reading poetry and reflective writing, which deepens my understanding of emotions.

(All images are courtesy of the artist, Remya Brijesh.)

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