Telangana Woman

His paintings capture simple lifestyle of villagers like pots on shoulders of men, the household chores, temple rituals etc. His drawings range from stark charcoal on paper, transparent washes and pencil drawings. The love for women in his paintings can be traced back to his childhood fascination by the impersonations of women characters by the male artists of the theatre groups performing in his village. Vaikuntam paints colorful and elaborately dressed Telangana region men and seductive women. His muse is the sensuous and voluptuous women of Telengana with their omnipresent vermilion bindis, draped in colourful sarees that highlight their dusky skin. The stylisation of a painting are a perfect foil to Indian classical dance as the figures seem to dance, as if following their creator in a statuesque movement, reminiscent of temple friezes.He uses the brightest of reds and yellows. The simple women become larger than life as they fill the small format of his paintings draped in bright Sircilla saris. "I like using rich primary colours, which give a sense of character and depth to my paintings. Like reds and saffron and even orange, because these are essentially Indian colours. I don't like using colours that are mix of two, because they are not natural, they don't exist in surroundings around us, in our everyday life." - T. Vaikuntam He also worked as art director for the film, Daasi, which received a national award.

• 1971-72 Painting and Printmaking, Faculty of Fine Arts, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda.(On a Lalit Kala Academy Fellowship from Andhra Pradesh)
• 1965-70 Diploma in Painting, College of Fine Arts and Architecture, Hyderabad

• 2011 “Metamorphosis: The Changing World of Thota Vaikuntam”, Art Alive Gallery, New Delhi
• 2009-10 “Saffron.Vermilion.Turmeric”, Indigo Blue Art, Singapore
• 2007 “Yes, I am He”, organized by India Fine Art, India Fine Art, Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai
• 2007 “Telangana: Inheritance of a Dream Lost”, Art Alive, New Delhi
• 2006 “Mukham”, Sanskriti Art Gallery, Kolkata
• 2005 “Telangana Men and Women”, Arts India, California
• 2005 “Naupu Telupu”, India Fine Art, Mumbai
• 2005 “Retrospective Show”, Art Alive Gallery, New Delhi, London
• 2004 Kuhu Art Gallery, London
• 2003 “Larger Than Life – Vaikuntam”s Women”, Arts India, New York and The Guild, Mumbai
• 2003 “Portraits”, Guild Art Gallery, Mumbai
• 2001 “Memories of Telangana”, Sama, New Delhi
• 2000 “Mother”, Guild Art Gallery, Mumbai

• 2011 “Aureus 2011”, Gallerie Nvya, New Delhi
• 2010-11 “Figure/Landscape: Part Two”, Aicon Gallery, London
• 2010 “Figure/Landscape: Part One”, Aicon Gallery, New York
• 2010 “The Living Insignia”, Gallery Ensign, New Delhi
• 2010 “Modern Folk: The Folk Art Roots of the Modernist Avant-Garde”, Aicon Gallery, New York
• 2010 “Black is Beautiful”, India Fine Art, Mumbai
• 2009 “Entity”, in association with Asian Academy of Film & Television at M.E.C. Art Gallery, New Delhi
• 2009 “The Root of Everything”, Gallery Mementos, Bangalore
• 2009 Gallery Space, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
• 2008 “Stellar Configuration”, presented by Vinnyasa Premier Art Gallery, Chennai at Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai
• 2008 “Post Independence Masters”, Aicon Gallery, New York
• 2008 “Freedom 2008 : Sixty Years After Indian Independence”, Centre for International Modern Art (CIMA), Kolkata
• 2008 “Pravah”, Art Pilgrim, New Delhi
• 2007 “Serigraphs”, Presented by Archer Graphic Studio at Tao Art Gallery, Mumbai
• 2007 “Rising Of The Phoneix: A Tribute To Livelihood”, Hasta Gallery, Hyderabad
• 2007 “Self and the Selfless”, Hasta Gallery, Hyderabad
• 2007 “The Workshop”, India Fine Art, Mumbai
• 2006 “Drawing Show an Act of Art II”, Priyasri Art Gallery, Mumbai
• 2006 Opening Show, India Fine Art, Mumbai
• 2006 “6 Artists Show”, 1 x 1 Gallery, Dubai
• 2006 Opening Show, Arts Pilgrim, London
• 2005 “Evoking Rasa in Luminous Visions - Indian Art”, Worcester Art Museum, Worcester, MA
• 2005 “Divine Inspiration”, India Fine Art, Mumbai
• 2004 “Confluence”, Arts India, California
• 2003 “Faces”, Art Alive, New Delhi
• 2003 Kuhu Art Gallery, London
• 2003 “Hyderabad with Love”, India Fine Art, Hyderabad, Mumbai
• 2002 “Tradition and Change”, Arts India, New York
• 2001 “A Panorama of Indian Contemporary Art”, Art Circle, The Guild
• 2000 “Dubai / Creative 2000
• 2000 Menaz Art Gallery
• 2000 Faces Design Art, Dubai
• 2000 “Ignition”, Crimson Art Gallery, Mumbai
• 2000 “Mask”, Dhoomimal Art Gallery, New Delhi

• 1993 National Award For Painting
• 1988-89 Biennale Award, Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal
• 1988-89 National Award for Art Direction of Film “Daasi”
• 1985 Award from Hyderabad Art Society, Andhra Pradesh Lalit Kala Academy
• 1982-83 Award from Hyderabad Art Society, Andhra Pradesh Lalit Kala Academy
• 1979 “Mahakoshal Kala Samithi”, Madhya Pradesh
• 1979 Award from Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata
• 1979 Award from Chitra Kala Parishad, Bangalore
• 1975-77 Second Award from Hyderabad Art Society, Andhra Pradesh Lalit Kala Academy