Calligraphy as an art form is often inextricably tied to history and heritage, as a continuation of artistic traditions passed down by masters across generations. Just like with any classical art form, the sometimes dogmatic reverence it's treated with can often prevent it from evolving in tandem with culture as a whole. In so many ways, this holds back its full artistic potential and ensures that it stays on the periphery, rarely moving beyond its niche.
Over the last decade, Aadil Abedi, a London-born and LA-based artist and creative director, has been at the forefront of the evolution of Arabic and Islamic calligraphy. Aadil’s designs take traditional calligraphy styles and motifs and injects them with a modern flair, flourish, and dynamism; giving everything he creates a distinct life of its own.
“There’s definitely a love-hate relationship at times,” says Aadil. “Calligraphy is incredibly meditative, but it also demands so much precision. What I love most is how it slows me down. In a world where everything’s fast and reactive, calligraphy forces presence. Every stroke has to be intentional. It’s not just about making something look beautiful, it’s about embodying a feeling; a word; a meaning, through a composition.”
On the flip side, however, the meticulous nature of calligraphy can often feel restrictive. There are days when he just wants to be messy, abstract, and calligraphy, especially classical scripts, don’t always allow for that. One of the biggest challenges for him has been figuring out how to let his own style evolve while still being respectful of its classical foundations and traditions.
Growing up, he was surrounded by both structure and softness. He was taught to care deeply about craft at every stage of his upbringing; the way a meal was plated or a verse was recited in his home. This quiet insistence on doing things with care, regardless of whether anyone notices, is what guides his creative practice, even today.
“Calligraphy has always been held in this sacred space, especially in Islamic tradition,” says Aadil. “It’s not just art, it’s a vessel for the divine. But I think the danger comes when we freeze it in time. When reverence turns into rigidity, it can block the art from evolving.”
Because of this sacred esteem that it’s so often held in, Aadil was initially apprehensive about adapting calligraphy to suit a more modern style and aesthetic. Once he started, however, he quickly came to a realisation: tradition isn’t weakened by evolution; it’s strengthened by relevance. Rather than merely imitating classical calligraphy scripts, he focused more on carrying its spirit forward in his own way. He believes this is what allows his art to attract people from all walks of life. “Dogma is often rooted in fear: fear of misinterpretation, of loss, of letting go of control. But what helps me is the reminder that intention matters. If the work is rooted in love, care, and reverence, people can feel that, even if the form looks unfamiliar.”
His work has caught the attention of both homegrown and global brands at the forefront of the zeitgeist across clothing, footwear, tech, and music. From Rastah to Meta to Google, Aadil has found a way to bring his own visual aesthetic to collections, campaigns, and narratives across the world. Such collaborations have been vital for Aadil, particularly in terms of self-discovery.
“When I’m deciding who to collaborate with, I ask myself a few things,” explains Aadil. “Do they genuinely understand the soul of what I’m creating? Are they open to giving the art space to breathe? And can I see a shared value system — not just aesthetically, but in terms of purpose? I’ve learned that the best partnerships are the ones where both sides are willing to listen, stretch, and still let the final product feel honest.”
What’s most important to Aadil is authenticity and ensuring that his own artistic voice is in no way diluted through the process of collaboration. For him, every stroke carries meaning, and he consistently strives to ensure that his process is treated with the same respect as if it were just him working on his own, whether it ends up on a sneaker, becomes a part of a digital ad or features in a music video.
Aadil also believes that it’s vital to equip the next generation of artists and calligraphers with the tools and knowledge to further evolve the art form. To him, providing easy access with context is the way forward. “Too often, these traditions are gatekept, taught in intimidating ways, or presented as if they belong to a distant, elite past,” says Aadil. “Calligraphy was never meant to be precious in that way. It was devotional, it was public, and it was for the people. To bring it back into the hands of a new generation, we need to make the stories more approachable.”
Aadil’s creative vision is an authentic representation of his own multifaceted and multicultural identity. There’s a resonance to his calligraphy that makes everything he puts into a piece an intimate form of personal storytelling. Every brushstroke and every line channels the power and the depth of his own life: his joy, his pain, his dreams, his upbringing and even his faith. His work is pivotal in the way that it contains and spotlights a multitude of distinctly South Asian identities that the Western world would otherwise be ignorant of.
For Aadil, his upbringing is the foundation of everything he creates. He carries his heritage in his hands, in the strokes of his calligraphy, and in his very approach to both beauty and detail. Growing up, the languages, colours, rituals and values of his home weren’t always reflected in the world outside, but inside his home, there was so much richness, whether it was Bollywood movies playing in the background, the scent of cardamom in the kitchen, or even his elders reciting their prayers. The quiet majesty of all of this left a profound impact on him.
“Those memories are still the well I draw from,” Aadil reminisces. “I think about my grandmother’s du’as; the way she would cup her hands with such sincerity. It’s that kind of reverence I try to pour into my work. I think about the Mughal miniature paintings we’d see in books or museums, the intricate embroidery on my mom’s saris, and the peacock feathers and marigolds that showed up at every family wedding. Even the silences; sitting in the masjid or walking barefoot across a cold marble floor, make up the sensory moments that shaped my emotional landscape.”
Aadil’s family taught him the value of excellence without ego, how to hold complexity, and the importance of being deeply rooted in faith while remaining curious about the world around him. They also showed him how to honour tradition while not being imprisoned by it. “My family are conservative in practice, but liberal in thought,” says Aadil. “That duality, of reverence and reinterpretation, is a thread that runs through all my work.”
While his art may manifest in a modern visual language, its soul is very much anchored in the “textures, teachings, and tensions” of his South Asian Muslim upbringing. “It’s not just about visibility," he explains, "it’s about inviting people to see the nuance, the poetry, the layers that exist within our cultures. Not as something ‘other’, but as something deeply human and worthy of centre stage.”
The sublime fluidity of Aadil’s art also mirrors the fluidity of human existence and the universe we inhabit. While not necessarily religious, spirituality is a thread that flows through every single one of his pieces. His work draws parallels between art and the concept of faith and underlines that while the essence of both remains largely the same, the forms in which they manifest are numerous and are constantly changing.
“I am extremely God conscious and over time, I’ve come to understand faith not as a fixed structure, but as something that breathes and moves with you through different seasons of life,” says Aadil. “When I was younger, I think I held onto it more tightly, almost like something I had to protect or define rigidly. But now, I see it more as a companion that is quiet at times, loud at others, but always present. That shift has absolutely shaped the way I create. I think that’s what’s so powerful about both art and faith: their essence stays rooted, but the ways we express and experience them are constantly unfolding.”
This tension between stillness and movement; between permanence and change, is embedded in the lines of Aadil’s calligraphy. It percolates into everything, from the layers of texture in his paint to the way he lets a piece speak before he tries to control it.
Aadil’s art isn’t just experimentation and ‘modernisation’ for the sake of it. It’s deliberate, considered and pays homage to his roots without necessarily being confined by them. It’s a rejection of artistic and spiritual dogma, and it is this approach that has found ubiquitous resonance across the world. Aadil’s creative practice is a beacon for all creatives and shows us that despite the commodification of art as a whole, narratives that are rooted in authenticity will always cut through the noise.
No one puts it better than Aadil:
“Your perspective, your story, your culture, your artistic voice — it’s not separate from the art. Let that be enough.”
You can follow Aadil here.
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