Rish’s business card states “Adam Rish – Misanthropist: For Disappointments phone ….” He was born in London in 1953 but with his family immigrated to Tasmania in 1962. He graduated in medicine from the University of Tasmania in 1978. He studied printmaking at East Sydney Tech in 1979 and sculpture from 1990-1991. He completed a BA (Hons) in Fine Arts at the University of Sydney in 1989 and an MFA at University of NSW in 1995. Since 1974 he has travelled and worked widely in the USA, Europe, Asia, Russia, Turkey as well as in Australia and the Pacific. He has exhibited around Australia since 1975 and held 37 solo exhibitions.