works by varsha ramesh
works by varsha ramesh
an overview
Varsha Ramesh creates images where colour, shape, and intention do the talking, carefully arranged, quietly bold, and always considered. Every frame starts as a study and ends as a story.
Varsha Ramesh creates images where colour, shape, and intention do the talking, carefully arranged, quietly bold, and always considered. Every frame starts as a study and ends as a story.
an overview
Varsha Ramesh creates images where colour, shape, and intention do the talking, carefully arranged, quietly bold, and always considered. Every frame starts as a study and ends as a story.
an overview
Varsha Ramesh creates images where colour, shape, and intention do the talking, carefully arranged, quietly bold, and always considered. Every frame starts as a study and ends as a story.
Porsche x Soho Farm House. 2024.
Photography and art direction for social campaign centered around the harvest festival
clay still life, study 01. 2025.
A photographic study of raw and processed clay, focused on material detail and form
Sensai. 2024.
Outtakes from various campaigns for a luxury Japanese cosmetics brand
Gmund Paper. 2024.
Paper swatches for Gmund's new website launch
R
You often pair objects that don’t seem to belong together — like a plate from India and biscuits from Italy. What draws you to that kind of contrast?
VR
I like putting together things that don’t necessarily have anything to do with each other. The plate is from India — a partition plate I picked up when I went home — and the biscuits are from Italy. Somehow, when I placed them together, they made sense visually, even though they’re from completely different contexts.
R
And the wooden surface, with that hint of blue — what made you choose that combination?
VR
I’ve always loved the relationship between browns, reds, and blues. You’ll find that palette in many of my works. The wood simply felt right; the color grounded the scene and made the rest of it come alive.
R
The clay in that image feels almost tactile…
VR
It’s a mix of black, white, red, and yellow clay. Since I started pottery, I’ve been drawn to photographing raw clay. I wanted to show the material itself — the texture, the way it ridges when you slice it with a wire. It’s such a simple material, yet it holds so much character.
r
You have a whole series with paper and stationery. What inspired that shift from organic to more structured materials?
r
You have a whole series with paper and stationery. What inspired that shift from organic to more structured materials?
vr
I’ve always been drawn to stationery — the small, elegant details that people overlook. When I was in Paris, I found these limited-edition stamps from La Poste. They were scratch-and-sniff, and when you scratched them, they smelled like baguettes! I loved how playful that was.
Around the same time, I bought some stationery from Present & Correct in London. Both came in these beautifully designed packages. When I layered them together, the papers and textures just worked visually.
vr
I’ve always been drawn to stationery — the small, elegant details that people overlook. When I was in Paris, I found these limited-edition stamps from La Poste. They were scratch-and-sniff, and when you scratched them, they smelled like baguettes! I loved how playful that was.
Around the same time, I bought some stationery from Present & Correct in London. Both came in these beautifully designed packages. When I layered them together, the papers and textures just worked visually.
vr
Yes — I collect scissors. I found that chunky pair in Japan. There’s something sculptural about them. I love photographing design that feels both everyday and precise.
vr
Yes — I collect scissors. I found that chunky pair in Japan. There’s something sculptural about them. I love photographing design that feels both everyday and precise.
r
There’s also a pair of scissors in the photo…
r
There’s also a pair of scissors in the photo…
R
You have a whole series with paper and stationery. What inspired that shift from organic to more structured materials?
VR
I’ve always been drawn to stationery — the small, elegant details that people overlook. When I was in Paris, I found these limited-edition stamps from La Poste. They were scratch-and-sniff, and when you scratched them, they smelled like baguettes! I loved how playful that was.
Around the same time, I bought some stationery from Present & Correct in London. Both came in these beautifully designed packages. When I layered them together, the papers and textures just worked visually.
R
There’s also a pair of scissors in the photo…
VR
Yes — I collect scissors. I found that chunky pair in Japan. There’s something sculptural about them. I love photographing design that feels both everyday and precise.
r
Then there’s the picnic set — it feels nostalgic, almost playful.
r
Then there’s the picnic set — it feels nostalgic, almost playful.
vr
I found it in a thrift shop in Vienna, run by an old man who’s always slightly grumpy and only takes cash. It reminded me of a picnic set we had when I was growing up. Everything fits perfectly into itself — it’s compact, practical, stackable. I liked the rhythm of that form. The idea of stackability keeps coming back in my work — maybe because it’s about creating quiet order from everyday chaos..
vr
I found it in a thrift shop in Vienna, run by an old man who’s always slightly grumpy and only takes cash. It reminded me of a picnic set we had when I was growing up. Everything fits perfectly into itself — it’s compact, practical, stackable. I liked the rhythm of that form. The idea of stackability keeps coming back in my work — maybe because it’s about creating quiet order from everyday chaos..
r
You often pair objects that don’t seem to belong together — like a plate from India and biscuits from Italy. What draws you to that kind of contrast?
r
You often pair objects that don’t seem to belong together — like a plate from India and biscuits from Italy. What draws you to that kind of contrast?
vr
I like putting together things that don’t necessarily have anything to do with each other. The plate is from India — a partition plate I picked up when I went home — and the biscuits are from Italy. Somehow, when I placed them together, they made sense visually, even though they’re from completely different contexts.
vr
I like putting together things that don’t necessarily have anything to do with each other. The plate is from India — a partition plate I picked up when I went home — and the biscuits are from Italy. Somehow, when I placed them together, they made sense visually, even though they’re from completely different contexts.
vr
I’ve always loved the relationship between browns, reds, and blues. You’ll find that palette in many of my works. The wood simply felt right; the color grounded the scene and made the rest of it come alive.
vr
I’ve always loved the relationship between browns, reds, and blues. You’ll find that palette in many of my works. The wood simply felt right; the color grounded the scene and made the rest of it come alive.
r
And the wooden surface, with that hint of blue — what made you choose that combination?
r
And the wooden surface, with that hint of blue — what made you choose that combination?
vr
It’s a mix of black, white, red, and yellow clay. Since I started pottery, I’ve been drawn to photographing raw clay. I wanted to show the material itself — the texture, the way it ridges when you slice it with a wire. It’s such a simple material, yet it holds so much character.
vr
It’s a mix of black, white, red, and yellow clay. Since I started pottery, I’ve been drawn to photographing raw clay. I wanted to show the material itself — the texture, the way it ridges when you slice it with a wire. It’s such a simple material, yet it holds so much character.
r
The clay in that image feels almost tactile…
r
The clay in that image feels almost tactile…
R
Then there’s the picnic set — it feels nostalgic, almost playful.
VR
I found it in a thrift shop in Vienna, run by an old man who’s always slightly grumpy and only takes cash. It reminded me of a picnic set we had when I was growing up. Everything fits perfectly into itself — it’s compact, practical, stackable. I liked the rhythm of that form. The idea of stackability keeps coming back in my work — maybe because it’s about creating quiet order from everyday chaos..
one: porsche x bonanza cafe
two: porsche x pantone
three: Porsche x Soho Farm House
four: Sensai, an outtake from a campaigns
five: Porsche x Tommasso Spinzi
six: Porsche x La Marzocco, Martini Racing
porsche x bonanza cafe
porsche x pantone
Porsche x Soho Farm House
Sensai, an outtake from a campaigns
Porsche x Tommasso Spinzi
Porsche x La Marzocco, Martini Racing
r
Some of your images are more abstract — like the liquid textures or the translucent fruit. What’s the story behind those?
r
Some of your images are more abstract — like the liquid textures or the translucent fruit. What’s the story behind those?
r
Do you often shoot without a specific goal?
r
Do you often shoot without a specific goal?
vr
Yes. Not every image needs to be bold or composed. Some are there to introduce variety or softness. They let me see materials differently.
vr
Yes. Not every image needs to be bold or composed. Some are there to introduce variety or softness. They let me see materials differently.
r
And the fruit slices — they almost look like X-rays…
r
And the fruit slices — they almost look like X-rays…
vr
The liquid one was a test shoot. Probably balsamic vinegar and oil. I was just playing around with reflections and movement, using a star filter to exaggerate the highlights. It wasn’t about making a finished piece, more about experimenting with texture.
vr
The liquid one was a test shoot. Probably balsamic vinegar and oil. I was just playing around with reflections and movement, using a star filter to exaggerate the highlights. It wasn’t about making a finished piece, more about experimenting with texture.
vr
That’s what I was going for. I wanted to explore translucency — to see light pass through things we usually take for granted. The grapefruit especially fascinated me. It looked like a world inside itself, almost cellular, glowing from within.
vr
That’s what I was going for. I wanted to explore translucency — to see light pass through things we usually take for granted. The grapefruit especially fascinated me. It looked like a world inside itself, almost cellular, glowing from within.
r
Let’s talk about the sink image — it feels intimate and quiet. Where was that taken?
vr
In a cabin in Maribor, Slovenia, during the pandemic.. It’s one of those photos that just happened — our wine from the night before, our coffee from the morning. I poured out the leftover wine, and the way it collected in the sink, with the light dipping into the lower parts, was beautiful. It’s a small domestic moment, but it captures that stillness we all felt during that time.
r
Let’s talk about the sink image — it feels intimate and quiet. Where was that taken?
r
Let’s talk about the sink image — it feels intimate and quiet. Where was that taken?
vr
In a cabin in Maribor, Slovenia, during the pandemic.. It’s one of those photos that just happened — our wine from the night before, our coffee from the morning. I poured out the leftover wine, and the way it collected in the sink, with the light dipping into the lower parts, was beautiful. It’s a small domestic moment, but it captures that stillness we all felt during that time.
vr
In a cabin in Maribor, Slovenia, during the pandemic.. It’s one of those photos that just happened — our wine from the night before, our coffee from the morning. I poured out the leftover wine, and the way it collected in the sink, with the light dipping into the lower parts, was beautiful. It’s a small domestic moment, but it captures that stillness we all felt during that time.
r
Some of your images are more abstract — like the liquid textures or the translucent fruit. What’s the story behind those?
VR
The liquid one was a test shoot. Probably balsamic vinegar and oil. I was just playing around with reflections and movement, using a star filter to exaggerate the highlights. It wasn’t about making a finished piece, more about experimenting with texture.
r
Do you often shoot without a specific goal?
VR
Yes. Not every image needs to be bold or composed. Some are there to introduce variety or softness. They let me see materials differently.
r
And the fruit slices — they almost look like X-rays…
VR
That’s what I was going for. I wanted to explore translucency — to see light pass through things we usually take for granted. The grapefruit especially fascinated me. It looked like a world inside itself, almost cellular, glowing from within.
r
Your final works return to clay — there’s a sense of coming full circle.
r
Your final works return to clay — there’s a sense of coming full circle.
vr
Yes, it felt right to end there. One of the pieces uses Nerikomi clay, a Japanese technique that combines colored clays to create marbled patterns. I brought some home, cut it, and wrapped it in plastic. The contrast between the softness of the clay and the crinkled plastic felt tactile and alive.
The last image shows my pottery tools — a sponge, a wooden rib, a wire cutter. They’re all used, marked with red clay. I wanted to show that wear — the residue, the texture, the traces of touch.
vr
Yes, it felt right to end there. One of the pieces uses Nerikomi clay, a Japanese technique that combines colored clays to create marbled patterns. I brought some home, cut it, and wrapped it in plastic. The contrast between the softness of the clay and the crinkled plastic felt tactile and alive.
The last image shows my pottery tools — a sponge, a wooden rib, a wire cutter. They’re all used, marked with red clay. I wanted to show that wear — the residue, the texture, the traces of touch.
r
It’s a beautiful closing — grounded, material, personal.
r
It’s a beautiful closing — grounded, material, personal.
vr
It does feel more serious — like an ending that brings everything back to where it started. The playfulness gives way to stillness. It’s all connected.
vr
It does feel more serious — like an ending that brings everything back to where it started. The playfulness gives way to stillness. It’s all connected.
in conversation with Varsha ramesh October 2025, vienna
in conversation with Varsha ramesh October 2025, vienna
r
Your final works return to clay — there’s a sense of coming full circle.
VR
Yes, it felt right to end there. One of the pieces uses Nerikomi clay, a Japanese technique that combines colored clays to create marbled patterns. I brought some home, cut it, and wrapped it in plastic. The contrast between the softness of the clay and the crinkled plastic felt tactile and alive.
The last image shows my pottery tools — a sponge, a wooden rib, a wire cutter. They’re all used, marked with red clay. I wanted to show that wear — the residue, the texture, the traces of touch.
AR
It’s a beautiful closing — grounded, material, personal.
VR
It does feel more serious — like an ending that brings everything back to where it started. The playfulness gives way to stillness. It’s all connected.
in conversation with Varsha ramesh
October 2025, vienna