Nikheel Aphale, a Mumbai-born calligraphy artist, has a fascination with alphabets since childhood. A post-graduate from the National Institute of Design (NID), he uses the Indian script Devanagari in contemporary abstract paintings. 

 

Inspired by his mother’s handwriting, Marathi play and Hindi movie titles, he started viewing alphabets beyond words. Exposure to international calligraphy and learning under renowned text artist Brody Neuenschwander, determined to pursue Devanagari as artistic medium. Deeply connected to its sounds and visuals since birth, Devanagari represents his cultural identity.

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His career highlights include speaking at TEDx, an artwork in the permanent gallery of India’s New Parliament, designing the Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam title for the G20 Logo, and the excellence in calligraphy, ‘Top Award’ at the Jikji International Calligraphy Exhibition, South Korea. Nikheel has participated in the Auroville art residency, the One Asia Project, Taipei, an online exhibition ‘A Brush with Silence’, Bruges, Belgium, and the prestigious exhibitions in South Korea, the World Calligraphy Biennale, and the Asian Calligraphy Festival.

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His interviews and work have been featured in various Indian and international publications like Portraits of Indian Design by Dr Alka Pande, Vogue, Juggernaut, LetterExchange, Platform, Kyoorius, Letter Arts Review, and Typism, on NDTV as well as numerous blogs and websites and is held in private collections worldwide. Nikheel regularly speaks at calligraphy events and teaches at design colleges across India.

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He lives and works in Bangalore, India.