Abdul Warish
AI Curates, Arts Illustrated
The Monkey Business, Oil on Canvas, 36" x 24", 2024
Born in 1993 in New Delhi, Abdul Warish is a contemporary visual artist whose work reflects a keen eye for irony, nostalgia, and the playful layers of human behaviour. A graduate of Jamia Millia Islamia University, where he completed both his BFA (2018) and MFA (2021) in Painting, Warish has participated in several exhibitions including at AIFACS (2015), Gandhi Art Gallery (2017), MF Husain Art Gallery (2018), and the 64th National Exhibition of Art at Lalit Kala Akademi (2025). His art has also featured in international publications such as Together: The Journal (Israel–Palestine initiative, 2024–2025). Recipient of multiple merit scholarships and awards from Jamia Millia Islamia, Warish’s practice blends humour, symbolism, and cultural memory into a thoughtful visual language.
“A playful nod to village life, ‘The Monkey Business’ shows a cart moving forward as a mischievous monkey tugs at a rope tied to a Buddha statue - whose calm face bears the monkey’s grin. It’s a humorous take on our restless pursuit of peace, a reflection on how easily serenity is mimicked but rarely lived. Beneath the laughter lies a quiet truth: in chasing calm, we often carry our own chaos along.”