Manish Arora paints, draws, photographs and designs from Varanasi, the city he was born in. He is Professor and Head of the Department of Applied Arts at Banaras Hindu University.
View his works“Veins of the Void” offers a glimpse into the movement of liquid as it snakes through the void, much like veins in the human body or roots beneath the earth.
View the seriesThe chaotic yet purposeful scribbles converge to form the delicate shape of a blooming flower, capturing the contrast between disorder and creation.
View the drawingsThe ghats, rituals and everyday life of the city he was born in, photographed over many years.
See the photographsGraphic Identity Programme of Brand BHU, including seal/emblem, bilingual logotype, logo, symbol and signage system. It happened for the first time in the history of the 97-year-old BHU.
Read the case studyVaranasi · Artist, photographer, designer · Professor & Head, Applied Arts, BHU
Manish Arora is Professor & Head, Department of Applied Arts, Faculty of Visual Arts, Banaras Hindu University. A UGC Raman Post-Doctoral Fellow (Johns Hopkins University, USA, 2014), he is the first Fine Arts faculty member in India to receive this distinction. His practice spans painting, drawing, photography, institutional identity, typography and social design. More about him
As a beacon of light, the Deep Dwara guides pilgrims on their spiritual journey, reinforcing their connection to Lord Rama’s divine presence and the values of righteousness.
Graphic Identity Programme of Brand BHU: seal/emblem, bilingual logotype, logo, symbol and signage system, the first in the history of the 97-year-old BHU.
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A mural system for Ram Path, Janmabhoomi Path, Bhakti Path and Dharma Path. Top 3 and a ₹2,00,000 prize.
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Seal, logotype, tagline and a colour-coded campus wayfinding system.
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The Charan Paduka, the River Sarayu and the Surya dynasty in one civic mark. Top 3 and a ₹50,000 prize.
06Wood and clay craft training for 160 Varanasi artisans under the World Bank-assisted UP Pro-Poor Tourism project.
Int. Journal of Environment and Sustainable DevelopmentAdvertising in the Age of Climate ChangeInt. Journal of Environment and Sustainable Development, 2026Journal paper2026The AcademicDeepfakes, Artificial Intelligence, and the Crisis of Digital TrustThe Academic, 2026Book chapter2026
Multimodal AI and Large Language ModelsThe Role of Generative AI in Shaping Multimodal ExperiencesMultimodal AI and Large Language Models, 2026Journal paper2026
Int. Journal of Contemporary Research in MultidisciplinaryEmotional Intelligence in Artificial IntelligenceInt. Journal of Contemporary Research in Multidisciplinary, 2026Journal paper2026Hakara JournalThe Tactile Mind: Touch, Sensory Perception and Texture in ArtHakara Journal, 2026Journal paper2026The AcademicFrom Designer to Curator: Redefining Authorship in AI-Assisted Graphic DesignThe Academic, 2026Conference paper2025
AIIDC 2025, Atlantis PressScripts of Empowerment: Vernacular Typography and Cultural ResilienceAIIDC 2025, Atlantis Press, 2025Conference paper2025AIIDC 2025, Atlantis PressFrom Kitchen to Market: Visual Design for Homemade Food BrandsAIIDC 2025, Atlantis Press, 2025Journal paper2025SIDTM Telecom Business ReviewArt Meets Intelligence: AI and Traditional and Digital Art FormsSIDTM Telecom Business Review, 2025Journal paper2025Indo Western ResearchersThreads of Meaning: Textile and Visual Art in Contemporary Indian PracticeIndo Western Researchers, 2025Journal paper2025Threads of HeritageThreads of Heritage: Women, Art, and Silk Weaving in AssamJournal paper, 2025Book chapter2025Bhartiya Virasat aur Vaishvik DrishtiRooted in Diversity: Sustainability through Indigenous Knowledge, Art and NarrativeBhartiya Virasat aur Vaishvik Drishti, 2025Book chapter2025Dhokra Craft, OdishaCasting Aesthetics with Ethnic Culture: Dhokra Craft from Dhenkanal, OdishaBook chapter, 2025Journal paper2024
Journal of Business ResearchGender Stereotypes or Empowerment: Indian Award-Winning AdvertisementsJournal of Business Research, 2024Journal paper2024Anhad LokNavigating Tradition: Challenges Faced by Wooden Toymakers in VaranasiAnhad Lok, 2024Conference paper2024M.S. University of BarodaGhats Wall Paintings: Cultures, Traditions and Religions of VaranasiM.S. University of Baroda, 2024Conference paper2024Amity University, LucknowThe Social Paintings of India and Bangladesh (18th to 19th CE)Amity University, Lucknow, 2024Journal paper2023
Towards Excellence, UGC HRDCDeveloping Placeness for Sustainable Tourism: Varanasi GhatTowards Excellence, UGC HRDC, 2023Journal paper2023Int. Journal of Humanities and Social Science InventionShifting Representations of Gender in Indian Television CommercialsIJHSSI, 2023Journal paper2023Int. Journal of Humanities and Social Science InventionGender Portrayal in Advertising: A Review of Current ResearchIJHSSI, 2023
Sadhus, pilgrims and the Shahi Snan of the 2013 Maha Kumbh at Prayagraj, in six chapters.
Open the book
Teaching & guidanceBFA and MFA teaching in the Department of Applied Arts, BHU, since 2007.
Talks & eventsIncluding 84 he organised, with invited lectures in India and abroad.
FestivalCelebrating India’s script diversity, at the Department of Applied Arts, BHU, since 2015.
Research, exchanges and funded projects with universities in the United States and the United Kingdom, and with national agencies across India.
All collaborations
Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, USA
MICA, Center for Social DesignBaltimore, USA
Michigan State UniversityMichigan, USA
University at Buffalo, SUNYNew York, USA
Arts University PlymouthPlymouth, UK
Ministry of EducationNew Delhi, India
ICSSRNew Delhi, India
World BankWith the Ministry of EducationHis leadership extends well beyond the classroom. He has shaped curriculum, policy, infrastructure and culture at the departmental, faculty, university and national levels, across 397 academic and administrative roles.
Academic leadership“Art is everything; Art is nothing.”Manish Arora
Annual student exhibition of the Department of Applied Arts, BHU, which he heads.
Six-day intensive organised with The Calligraphy Foundation.
Innovation, Design and Entrepreneurship bootcamp with the MoE Innovation Cell and Wadhwani Foundation, for 200 participants.
Special speaker on experimental typography through nature, at the multilingual type festival he founded.
Film appreciation workshop with the film collective FilmiBaithak.
Featured photographer.
Five-day workshop, Department of Applied Arts, BHU.
Workshop on cultural storytelling through educational board games.
From the ‘Deep Dwara’ proposal to a built landmark on the 14 Kosi Parikrama route.