In this series, we get to know the Artists behind the work with ten questions about their practice, their space, and their ideas. These are their Stories.
Aadila Munshi
Aadila Munshi is a professional artist living and working in Toronto, Canada. Inspired by our human condition, she creates paintings of beautifully distressed urban surfaces, often juxtaposed with elegant marks and calligraphic forms.
A former Criminologist from the University of Cape Town, Aadila grew up in South Africa during the apartheid regime. She is inspired by street art as a powerful voice for social justice and equity. Her abstract expressions represent her perception of the push and pull between struggle, hope, and the ability to rise above.
When did you develop an interest in art?
I was a toddler when I became obsessed with my Richard Scarry books. His books were my prized possessions, and were my first introduction to art. I was hooked both visually and intellectually by his clever, colourful, and succinct illustrations. I had many of his books, and I was obsessed with the savvy way he drew and presented the tiny objects.
He truly introduced me to art through those books, and I developed a passion for drawing everyday objects, especially miniature versions as he did. I proceeded throughout my life to draw objects, and preferred to draw from illustrations versus real life. Disney movies like ‘Beauty and theBeast’ and ‘The Little Mermaid’ had me pausing the VCR, freezing the frames for a long time so I could sit still and reproduce whole animated scenes in my sketchbooks.
In school my favourite thing to do was reproduce the illustrations of organ and cell systems from Biology textbooks. I created the most detailed drawings, and relished every second, sharpening my artist’s observation skills with each subsequent exercise. Archie comics too were a favourite source of inspiration. At some point in my life, penmanship and calligraphy became important to me and I practiced lettering for hours on end. I purchased many instructive books on art over the years, and I just learned and learned.
Tell us about your process when creating an artwork.
My work begins with written forms. I write with pencil, pens, charcoal, brushes, and pretty much anything that allows me to make my marks. For me it is a ritual that is meaningful, pays homage to my past vocation as an academic writer, and feels perfectly right.
In my urban abstracts, I allow the writing to lead my next steps. It is very intuitive. All the while an end goal is kept in mind. I have a vision of what I would like the piece to look like, and an overall theme that I would like to convey. My abstract urban work is visceral, with gritty textures and bold forms. I imagine decay and the passage of time as it relates to my personal life experience, and I apply my paints and colours accordingly. I am always at one with my end piece, as mine is an authentic and emotionally connected process.
How do your mediums of choice lend themselves to the subject matter of your work?
I am partial to acrylic paint. I love how quickly they dry versus oil paints. I love that they don’t have a lingering and disturbing smell. I’ve tried oils, and while I do love the buttery consistency, I rejected them as incompatible for my particular style almost immediately. My urban abstracts are richly layered, and I find that acrylic paints are the most conducive to my paint application process. I also use spray paints, and these have been the most liberating and efficient tools to express my written forms exactly as I wish to. Feels like they were made for me!
How did your work develop over the years?
From the very beginning my work had a distinct grunge aesthetic. As an artist and a sensitive observer of the human condition, I brought the inevitability of life’s decay, in all its applicable forms, to the forefront of my work. When I painted flowers, they were often wilted and in their end stages. When I painted fruit, they were suitably blemished. When I painted shoes, they were gnarly and happily wrinkled.
It was in the mid-90s when I began painting scenes in Italy, Lake Como and Venice in particular, that my passion for gritty, weathered walls really kicked in. I began to create visually pleasing, elegantly feminine Italian lake scenes, and juxtaposed these scenes with strong images of decay in the historic boats and buildings. I then went on to feature these gritty walls exclusively on my canvases, and that’s when the urban abstracts that I am mostly known for finally came into being.
My urban walls are totally imaginary, full of textured life, and layered with my own signature calligraffiti. The latest development in my work is borne from a consistent personal script found in all my pieces, either overt or covert. I look back at sketchbooks and my written notes, and it has always been there. It only made sense to feature it as the next step in my work’s evolution. My latest collection of work is titled ‘Inner Poetry’ and features this personal hand-style of mine, magnified, and presented in striking lyrical forms on canvas. It has been a wildly successful collection and I am excited to continue to develop it further.
Where do you find the inspiration?
I have painted for a good 25 years, took formal art lessons throughout my youth, and again as an adult. I find that I am inspired from deep within myself to create and bring excellence and meaning to the table with my art. I am remarkably self-motivated, and I attribute that to a significant change in vocation that has me looking to establish as much meaning in my current path as I was fortunate to have enjoyed in my former. These are the intrinsic inspirations that keep me grounded and moving forward.
Then there are the people who support my creative perspectives. They are my tribe and they truly inspire me. The people who follow my path, and who collect my work for their most treasured spaces, their homes, offices, and corporate towers…it doesn’t get more inspiring than that! My child, and being a mother, inspires me every day. The tenacity, strength, and power of womanhood inspires me. As you can see, I am emotionally inspired by people and the human condition. Street art is, of course, a big influence too. Mainly because of the inspiring human voices who create it.
What do you listen to when you work?
Nothing. No music, no podcasts, no books, no noise. I work in absolute silence. And the work, and my mind, just flows beautifully.
If given the opportunity, what is your dream project?
Dare I say I may have already done my dream project? One of them, at least.
I was commissioned at the height of the pandemic to create two over-sized original pieces of art for the lobby of a new building in downtown Toronto. An unprecedented project, certainly for me. The gorgeous space was designed by illustrious Toronto design firm, Cecconi Simone Inc., a design duo that I have greatly admired since first watching their HGTV show (Design Interns) in 2006. The paintings were commissioned by the equally illustrious Daniels Corporation. It was a dream project indeed, and one to strike off the bucket list. The two paintings are each 14 feet tall and 8 feet wide and now hang side-by-side in the lobby of The Lighthouse East Tower, located at 20 Richardson Street on Toronto’s Harbourfront. I lived at the Harbourfront for many years, and so this was a full-circle, serendipitous moment for me.
I’m also currently creating 8 original paintings for another new condo development by the Daniels Corporation, with an early 2024 reveal. I’m very grateful for this loyal and discerning partnership, where local art is a preferred choice.
To answer the question though, I would be very happy to acquire more collaborations with high-profile builders and designers working in both interiors and fashion!
What’s one item in your workspace you cannot live without?
While studying and working in Cape Town, I had the rare privilege of living with the newly appointed Minister of Justice and his family. Minister Dullah Omar became a father figure to me and was an integral part of South Africa’s first democratic government, led by President Nelson Mandela. I was very fortunate to have spent many years in the presence of these venerated freedom fighters.
The first item in my studio I can’t live without is my special copy of Nelson Mandela’s autobiography. It was personally signed and gifted to me for my birthday by The President and the Minister of Justice. It reminds me of the blessing of their mentorship, their individual and collective strength as apartheid activists, and keeps me totally grounded. I also have a little note from my son on the wall; it reads ‘the worild’s best art stoodieo’. Can’t live without that piece of motivation! I also can’t live without my chair, where I often sit to reflect on my work. Mine is just a simple stool from Ikea, not the comfy, cushy kind that would tempt me to sit for too long! Brushes and paints may come and go, but these items are forever keepers! That’s more than one item, ha.
What would people be surprised to learn about you?
I do not watch the news. I am a former Criminologist from the University of Cape Town. I would not have a television in my house if I had a choice. I am a dedicated golfer with a respectable 14 handicap. I’d love to spend more time lowering this handicap, but then I’d have to quit painting altogether!
Do you want to be featured? Join Partial as a Pro artist and e-mail us at hello@partial.gallery. We’d love to share your work.