Born in 1970 in Sindgi, Karnataka, G R Iranna is known for creating deeply introspective works that explore spirituality, memory, suffering and the human condition. Growing up in a farming family, Iranna spent nearly seven formative years in a traditional gurukul and ashram, experiences that instilled in him a lifelong engagement with meditation, Indian philosophy and the dualities of existence. These early influences continue to shape an artistic language that is both intensely personal and universally resonant.

Iranna earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting from the College of Visual Art, Gulbarga, in 1992, followed by a Master of Fine Arts from the College of Art, New Delhi, in 1994. In 1999, he received the prestigious Charles Wallace Scholarship and undertook an artist residency at the Wimbledon School of Art, London, broadening his artistic outlook while remaining deeply rooted in Indian cultural traditions. His recurring motifs include human forms, trees, and organic textures, inviting viewers to contemplate impermanence and the search for inner truth.

The artist has exhibited his works across India and abroad, with solo exhibitions at Gallery Espace, New Delhi, Aicon Contemporary, New York, and The Guild, Mumbai. His work has been featured at the Venice Biennale, the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, and a major retrospective at the National Gallery of Modern Art, Bengaluru. Iranna's works have won him several awards and are presently held in prominent museums and private collections worldwide.