BIOGRAPHY
Aadila Munshi is a Toronto-based contemporary artist known for her distinctive calligraffiti paintings and sculpture, where writing functions as both drawing and abstraction. Her asemic written forms resist legibility, shifting between intuitive rhythm and structured thought, drawing the viewer into a space of immersion and reflection. A former Criminologist from the University of Cape Town, she brings a third-world, cross-continental perspective to her work.
She explores universal themes of identity, belonging, memory, and nostalgia, articulated through a personal visual language grounded in the aesthetics of street art. By merging the expressive energy of urban graffiti with a keenly introspective lens, her unique hand-style flows with an evocative, yet meditative cadence.
With over twenty-five years of professional experience, her paintings are held in private and corporate collections worldwide, including several major commissions for The Daniels Corporation in Canada. Her largest corporate commission installation—two 14x8 ft paintings—is permanently housed in the lobby of Toronto’s Lighthouse East Tower.
Her ongoing “Inner Poetry” series continues to explore written expressions as a form of visual philosophy — a dialogue between her inner reflection and the external world.
Based in Toronto, Canada, Aadila works with collectors, galleries and curators who seek authentic, contemporary abstract art that embodies both cultural depth and visual elegance.
Artist Statement
I experienced apartheid, its demise, and the first ever free and fair election in South Africa, electing Nelson Mandela as the President. I had the rare privilege to often meet the President and his contemporaries, most notably his Minister of Justice, Dullah Omar, in whose home I was welcomed as family. These legendary giants of the freedom struggle served as my mentors for years, and strongly shaped my views on strength, tolerance, freedom, and humanity. My experience in the South African socio-political scene was deepened by my work as a Criminologist at the University of Cape Town.
‘In the latest evolution of my work, I have cast a spotlight on my signature hand-style. This dynamic calligraffiti is found in my personal sketchbooks and in the layers of my urban abstract pieces. In a new collection of paintings, titled ‘Inner Poetry’, I have magnified and presented this writing in lyrical form on canvas. These written forms are strong and graceful at once, and through this work I intuit my fortitude, my femininity, and my belief in the necessity of human interdependence for us to evolve, exist in peace, and prosper together.’ - Aadila.