While she’s only just finished her studies, Urjasvi Gandhi’s illustration practice already feels multifaceted. Inspired by the relationship between humans and nature, her artworks draw on environmental concepts ranging from animism to ontology and biophilia.

Originally from India, the illustrator had already done work experience at M&C Saatchi’s Mumbai office, worked at an art rental company, and was selling her work in the form of art prints and NFTs, when she decided to move to the UK for university.

Gandhi found her time on the illustration course at Nottingham Trent University equal parts challenging and fulfilling. “The tutors and the modules we had really made sure we found and discovered ourselves completely, to create art that best aligned to our interests. I’m grateful for the amount of growth it brought me as an artist and a person.”

During her studies, she also spent her spare time working at local art galleries including Nottingham Contemporary and the Bonington Gallery, which allowed her to connect with and learn from a variety of artists and curators.

The best piece of advice the illustrator received during this time was to create freely and merrily. “As a perfectionist who’d wait to have the best idea before creating, I was often told by my tutors to begin creating and let my heart take me to the next stage,” she says. “This helped me get into a good rhythm of creating where my art was aligned with my thoughts and visions, without letting the idea of aesthetics or perfection grip me.”

One of Gandhi’s most enjoyable projects to date saw her create ten surreal artworks of bus stops. Taking the form of postcards, the project sought to delve into the universal themes of longing and connection. With one eye firmly on the future, the illustrator has also been exploring how her pieces could sit in the context of editorial publications, media platforms and gallery spaces. “I’d love to get commissioned by well-recognised clients to create art that aligns with the stories my art speaks,” she says.

As for Gandhi’s broader career ambitions, she’s currently applying for artist residencies both in and outside of India (“A change of location always brings forward a different side of my art”) and most of all is determined to keep challenging herself to try new things.

“With university being over, I don’t want to stop learning because that is what enables growth,” she says. “I hope I can call myself a different kind of artist every year, maybe this year I learn pottery, and maybe jewellery making the next. I want to be able to find and recognise myself in all and any forms of art.”

@urjasvigandhi_