Interview: Raman Bhardwaj

Public Record: Greensboro’s Creatives is a video interview series that seeks to illuminate the lives of artists, makers, and creative people in Greensboro. Formed by Creative Greensboro, this project was developed in collaboration with the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts' Creative Catalyst Initiative.

Raman Bhardwaj is an award-winning illustrator, painter, and muralist.

Bhardwaj won a national award in India for his children’s book illustration, and went on to work for a major English newspaper as an illustrator, developing editorial cartoons about urban life and political issues. In 2010, Bhardwaj began working full time as a freelance illustrator and animator.

Most recently, Raman has taken on large scale projects in Greensboro, including bespoke mural paintings based on pop imagery and realistic portraits. He also paints murals for residential and commercial buildings.

In the interview, Bhardwaj discusses the synthesis of Indian mythology and renaissance art, the joys and challenges of painting large scale murals, and how art is a channel for personal expression and carrying a message.

This portrait of Bhardwaj was made by his mural at the Church Crossing Shopping Center

To learn more about Bhardwaj’s work, you can visit his Artist Raman website and follow him on Instagram at @artistraman.