My name is Rajarajeshwari Ragampudi, I go by Rj. I’m a self-taught artist, Architect and Production Designer from Hyderabad, India. Growing up, I knew I was a creative, but I always gave myself a hard time for not knowing what I was good at, and what I was meant to be doing. I was one of those people who thought of Art as a multi-faceted thing, and I had quite the journey in discovering this.

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As a kid, I’d watch Alfred Hitchcock and Jonathan Demme, and then Gasper Noe and Satyajit Ray and I’d frantically google “behind the scenes” after every movie. Whether it was indulging in the enchanting realm of Harry Potter or delving into the complexities of foreign language cinema, each cinematic experience served as a refuge from the rigors of daily life.. My version of self-care after a hectic week meant curling up on the couch and putting on a good horror movie to get lost in for the night. For me, cinema transcended mere entertainment, assuming a profound significance akin to a spiritual pursuit.

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I pursued Architecture in my Undergrad simply because of my background in science and love for art. In my third year of college, I was diagnosed with two herniated discs in my spine and was left completely paralysed in my left leg for a while. I look back at those days and I can still remember all the great movies and shows that got me through it. From classics like Hitchcock’s Psycho and Lynch’s Blue Velvet, to exploring films of various languages like The Handmaiden and Burning, my love for good storytelling only grew bigger and bigger. It was during this period of physical confinement that my love for storytelling blossomed into a profound understanding of its transformative power. I then truly discovered the power storytelling holds, and the power of visually stunning frames.