Ayisha Abraham

Ayisha Abraham (b. 1963, London, UK) 

Ayisha Abraham is a visual artist who works in installation art and mixed media work. She completed her BFA in Painting from Maharaja Sayajirao University, Baroda, India (1987) and MFA from Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA (1995), and participated in an Independent Study Program at the Whitney Museum, NYC (1992). From 1996 to 2023, she served as a visual arts consultant at the Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design, and Technology in Bangalore and is a member of the BAR1 artist collective.

In her current series of lithographs, the artist explores personal narratives, intertwining observations of places, people, and ecosystems, while reflecting on the often-overlooked ‘ground’ and the fleeting, unnoticed aspects of life. These works evoke connections between memory, nature, and the subtle forces that shape our existence.

She has produced a series of short digital experimental films made from 8mm found home movies. Her film One Way, part of the State of the World series, was screened at the Directors' Fortnight at Cannes (2007), and her Straight 8 was showcased at Srishti Institute’s exhibition at Ars Electronica in Linz, Austria (2005). Abraham's solo exhibitions include The Ground Below at Sumukha Gallery, Bangalore (2023), Film Tales at Ske Gallery, Bangalore (2005), and Looks the Other Way at Franklin Furnace, NYC (1998). She has also participated in numerous group exhibitions, both in India and internationally. Her writings have appeared in publications such as New Cinema: Journal of Contemporary Cinema and Mining the Home Movie: Excavations, Histories and Memories, edited by Patricia Zimmermann and Karen Ishizuka.

Abraham currently lives and works between Bangalore, India, and Warwick University, UK.