Ayesha Taleyarkhan

Born and based in Mumbai, this contemporary visual artist and photographer has developed a distinctive creative practice that bridges photography, digital media, and abstraction. Beginning her career in the era of black-and-white photography, she progressed through editorial, advertising, and documentary work before establishing a unique visual language that she describes as “photo art.”

A pioneering presence in editorial photography, she became the first photographer at Business India before moving into the dynamic world of advertising photography. Years of professional experience behind the camera cultivated a deep understanding of composition, narrative, texture, and visual storytelling. Alongside her photographic practice, she has authored six acclaimed coffee-table books exploring architecture, women, urban culture, and other socially significant subjects, reflecting a sustained engagement with contemporary society and culture.

Her entry into the fine art sphere emerged from an exploration of themes of connection, coexistence, and shared humanity. Responding to an increasingly divided world, she developed a body of work centred on the idea of integration. Through a highly individual process, multiple original photographs including portraits, landscapes, cityscapes, and still-life imagery, are digitally merged and transformed into layered abstract compositions. Technology becomes both medium and tool, enabling photographic elements to evolve into visual effects reminiscent of watercolour washes, charcoal drawings, oil paintings, and crayon textures. Additional layers and surface treatments create depth, movement, and tactile richness.

The resulting works challenge traditional distinctions between photography and painting, inviting viewers to engage with shifting interpretations of colour, memory, identity, and form. While traces of the original photographs remain visible, each composition evolves into a new visual experience shaped by abstraction and imagination.

Her work has been showcased in solo exhibitions in Mumbai and Pune and featured in numerous group exhibitions, art fairs, and international online festivals. Recent presentations include exhibitions at NCPA and CSMVS Museum, Mumbai, Tao Art Gallery, and international showcases in the United States. Her artworks are held in private collections and have also been commissioned by corporate patrons.