Gopikrishna was born in 1965 in Trivandrum, Kerala He received his Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in painting from the College of Fine Arts, Trivandrum in 1987 and his Master’s of Fine Arts in Painting from the College of Arts, New Delhi in 1995 He is a storyteller, filling his universe with varied creatures and characters, each conveying a subtle wisdom As though fairytales, his surrealistic works bring to life the ordinary and the impossible His solo shows include Swan and other paintings, Kashi Art Gallery, Kerala, 2004; The Cave in the Metropolis, Palette Art Gallery, New Delhi, 2006, Gopikrishna: A Personal Mythology, Palette Art Gallery, New Delhi, 2009 and Carnival of Rising Emotions, Art Musings, Mumbai in 2010 He has participated in numerous group shows such as Indian Contemporary Art, Gallery Lombardi, Texas in 2002 and The Human Animal, Gallery Threshold in 2009 He received the 2000 State Award for Painting from the Kerala Lalit Kala Academy and the 2002 Award for Drawing from the All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society, New Delhi He was also the runner up at the Bose Pacia Modern Prize for Contemporary Art, New Delhi in 2001