Scripted differently: Arist Nikheel Aphale turns Devanagari into contemporary art & personal memory

Artist Nikheel Aphale takes Devanagari, its letters and texts and uses them as raw materials for contemporary art.

Key points

• His work with the script has additionally assisted him connect with his roots and develop a visual language.
• Manuscripts, inscriptions and scriptures offer him references for creating new letterforms and deciding on surfaces and visual treatment.
• Letterform structure and the balance between black and white space require disciplined practice.
• He does not see technology as something to reject, but believes it needs to be applied thoughtfully without losing touch with human emotion.
• The possibilities do not end with framed artworks.

His work with the script has additionally assisted him connect with his roots and develop a visual language. "I see letterforms as images, some feel delicate or solid, aggressive or soft, complex or simple. I keep experimenting with these qualities to bring out their hidden beauty, allowing the letters to move from a literal form toward something more abstract, " he adds.

History is another significant source of material. Manuscripts, inscriptions and scriptures offer him references for creating new letterforms and deciding on surfaces and visual treatment. He additionally works with texts from literature, including mantras, poems and verses, particularly when dealing with ideas of spirituality and humanity. "I believe scripts carry more than language. They hold memory, philosophy, identity and cultural experience. By placing them in contemporary contexts, I hope to create them accessible and relevant to audiences, even when they may not understand the language, " shares the Bengaluru-based artist, whose work is part of the permanent display at India's new Parliament building.

For context, the possibilities do not end with framed artworks. Aphale sees Indian scripts working throughout graphic design, book covers, textiles, fashion, sculpture, beading and public spaces. While he states using one's own language can offer text-based work a stronger personal connection, a lot of Indian languages and scripts offer artists a sizeable body of visual materials.

His tools are as experimental as his treatment of letters. Reed pens and brushes are applied alongside toothbrushes, coconut husks and discarded bank cards. As he explains, "If I want to express anger, I may choose something rough, like a toothbrush or coconut husks, the choice depends on the feeling he wants to convey throughout. While an unconventional tool can create marks that feel more forceful.", a traditional nib may not always carry that sense of agitation.

Letterform structure and the balance between black and white space require disciplined practice. Once these principles become part of an artist's muscle memory, they can work more freely with abstraction. Such discipline additionally gives handmade work its value at a time when digital fonts & AI-generated images are becoming highly common. Aphale believes the human hand leaves something behind that technology cannot completely reproduce. In calligraphy, every stroke can record the rhythm of breathing, the pressure of the hand and the artist's state of mind at that particular moment.

He does not see technology as something to reject, but believes it needs to be applied thoughtfully without losing touch with human emotion. Handwriting and other hand-led practices, he adds, can additionally have a grounding effect. Individuals curious concerning script-based art can start by properly learning a script, preferably their mother script, Aphale suggests.

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