Carl Gopalkrishnan (aka Gopal) is a self-taught painter whose art practice has always focused on exploring consciousness in one form or another. Experimental in process and intuitive in practice, he has been painting for nearly 25 years. He is currently completing work for his next show, In The Dead Duke's Place, a visual chansons de geste about prophecy, politics and modern war.

Born in the UK in 1967 and currently based in Perth, Western Australia, he works in acrylic, mixed media and photography. Combining research, reflection and intuitive practice, Carl's paintings are often inspired by history, literature and mythology.

His work appears in international magazines and journals of poetry, politics and culture. He has been published by art journal Front Magazine in Vancouver, Canada; Indonesian arts and culture magazine Drexter Magazine; New York City literary journal Literal Latte; San Francisco poetry journal Lady Jane's Miscellany; London's leading queer literary journal Chroma; New Orleans' political Social Policy Magazine; and US-based online newspaper The Palestine Chronicle.

BIOGRAPHY

After studying design and typography in the 80’s, Carl worked in a small experimental art space in Perth, continuing to mix with street artists and musicians. He learnt to paint with support from the artists in his community who taught him different techniques. Intellectually curious, he then studied Sociology and History at Murdoch University, completing a BA in 1993 and then a First Class Honours year in Sociology in 1999. Research and community work led him to Sydney and then he completed three years of a PhD at The University of Melbourne researching online narratives which he later withdrew from. Throughout his career he has worked in various jobs supporting communities to fund his art practice.

"I have never really followed any particular market in my work. My paintings are either autobiographical or about exploring new possibilities with our imagination that reflect a collective transformation. I enjoy expressing emotion, creating stories, and asking the questions which, I think, a lot of people ask. I've been doing it so long now, I mean attitudes to art and painting have changed in that time as well. But I just keep painting like I always have"

He hasn’t taken the traditional road in his art and cites many influences including Street Art, Surrealism, Primitive, and Naïve traditions. Spiritual questions have led him to look at both the moral and legal aspects of killing in combat; and how today’s political narratives mirror the mythological archetypes of our past. Since 2001 his work has reoriented towards understanding our radically altered consciousness under both technological change and the so called War on Terror.

His 2006 exhibition, Sedition and Other Bedtime Stories was a child’s exploration of anti-terrorism legislation in Australia and a journey through the hidden symbols embedded within political rhetoric. In 2008's We'll Always Have Paris, he looked at how quantum physics affects our historical imaginings. Along the way he has discussed and written on the role of ethics among artists and in the arts industry; and how creativity is co-opted into both commercial and political processes-often to the detriment of creativity itself [see essay/Artists Chronicle, USA; featured interview Lady Jane's Miscellany, USA].

His current paintings delve into contemporary political myth-making using the metaphor of the chanson de geste (French medieval epic poetry) and the Hollywood musical. The literary imagination becomes, not an escape from ‘reality’ or an opposite of rational thought, but one of multiple worlds and realities that we choose to blueprint our futures. He has worked with an Australian politician and seeking other politicians to collaborate on paintings which examine the inner histiorical and literary narratives that they inhabit away from public life - but which influences that life. In the series, he continues to develop his style of merging Urban Art and Surrealism into a new visual language with  almost neo-classical undertones. They communictate his own personal exploration of his own private weltanschauung.

"In this series of work, I'm asking why, when we take the poetry out of public life, we loose those qualities which sculpt resilient and compassionate leaders. I also explore the chansons de geste as a metaphor for today's political environment. These recent canvases are blueprints for decision-making and really connect with people whose literacy of the imagination matters."

Future Works

20011 Carl has already started sketches and notes on new paintings. In it's draft form, they seem to be resembling an epic poem of religion and technology - a sort of visual chansons de geste. The exhibition - In The Dead Duke's Place - is scheduled for October 2011. An interview with Carl discussing this work is in the current issue of literary journal Lady Jane's Miscellany (USA).

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