Raghava KK's paintings and drawings use cartoonish shapes and colors to examine the body, society, our world.
Why you should listen
Raghava KK began his career in art as a newspaper cartoonist, and the cartoonist’s bold line -- and dead-on eye for truth -- still powers his art. His work spans painting, sculpture, installation, film and iPad art, always linked by his challenging opinions on identity, conformity, gender, celebrity, ceremony. (He even views his lavish Indian wedding as a piece of performance art.)
His early work as a painter made a complete break with his cartoon career -- he painted watercolors on canvas using only his hands and feet. Since then, his work has grown to knit together aesthetics from both worlds, as collage and complication play against flat color and precise lines. He shows in galleries and performance spaces around the world and often collaborates with other artists, most recently with musicians Paul Simon and Erykah Badu. In 2011, he launched his children's iPad book, Pop-it, shaking up the concept of an ideal family. He is currently working on a project that promises to shake up everything! From news to education.
Raghava KK’s TED Talks
More news and ideas from Raghava KK
Entertainment
Your mega summer reading list: 200 books recommended by TEDsters
May 31, 2013
Books can entertain, sucking you like a tornado into incredible new worlds. Books can teach, giving you a richer understanding of time periods, people and ideas you’ve never been exposed to. But books can do so much more. In today’s talk, TED’s own Lisa Bu introduces us to the concept of “comparative reading,” the practice […]
Continue readingNews
Your weekend reading: The case against empathy, gorgeous photos from the NatGeo contest
May 17, 2013
If you can only digest six awesome pieces of Internet content this week (plus one congrats), look no further. Here’s a round-up of the best stories on the webs this week. TED speaker Paul Bloom makes a compelling case against empathy, arguing that empathy alone is not sufficient to uphold morality — and may even […]
Continue readingArt
Mona Lisa 2.0: Raghava KK at TED2013
February 28, 2013
No stranger to the TED stage, Raghava KK returns with exciting updates on his work. Raghava is experimenting with EEG headsets that use brain waves to bring new, dynamic perspectives into his work. His upcoming works include: Mona Lisa 2.0, whose face changes based on Raghava’s mood; a depiction of Gandhi that changes based on […]
Continue reading



