São Paulo – Paintings by Ayman Esmandar of Syria are on show at Espaço de Arte Francis Bacon in Curitiba, Paraná until September 7. The artist has exhibited on several occasions since relocating to Brazil some five years to flee the war that still plagues his native country.
Esmandar brought along his solid training and career, and the will to keep making art and doing academic work in Brazil. The holder of a doctorate degree in Art History, which he used to teach – in addition to Ancient History – at Damascus University. He specializes in the Phoenicians, Greeks, Ancient Egyptians and Romans, and most of his paintings feature themes from Greek-Phoenician mythology. The exhibit in Curitiba features portrayals of nymphs.
Although he has been to Europe many times, Esmandar felt attracted to Brazil, and this led him to choose Rio de Janeiro when the war broke out in Syria. “Brazil has economic and political problems, but the people are always smiling. They enjoy being happy,” he told ANBA.
While working at a public university, Esmandar began receiving terrorist threats and decided it was time to move to Brazil. He mentions the country’s numerous, mostly Syrian and Lebanese Arab community, and the similarities Brazilians and Arabs share.
He succeeded in revalidating his doctorate degree in Brazil, and occasionally teaches classes and gives lectures in addition to exhibiting his art. On August 21, he will speak on the Dionysian features of contemporary culture, and on August 23, at school Colégio Imaculada Conceição, in Leopoldina, Minas Gerais he will discuss the historic city of Palmira. Last June, he exhibited his nymph paintings at Rio de Janeiro’s Centro Cultural Light Rio de Janeiro.
Esmandar became proficient in Brazilian Portuguese after studying at the Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ). He has also taken a course in international cultural tourism. During the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympics, which Brazil hosted, he worked as a tour guide. Esmandar is currently working to join a postdoctorate course at the UERJ.
He started making drawings when he was four years old and was known for his art since his school days. When the time came to go to college, he was accepted in various courses, but chose the Fine Arts. His final thesis was on Phoenician Mythologies. For his master’s studies, he did research on Phoenician Symbols, and his doctorate work was on the Artistic Traditions of Phoenician Civilization between 1,500 and 500 BC.
Nymphs, a recurrent subject in Esmandar’s paintings, are an integral part of Greek mythology, and were worshipped in the Greek world as well as by East Mediterranean Phoenicians. They are minor Ancient Greek goddesses and followers of god Dionisius. “They are ever-young, they never age. They symbolize fertility and nature,” Esmandar explains, displaying his fascination with the subject and his knowledge of mythology.
The exhibition in Curitiba features 25 paintings.
Quick facts
Exhibition “Nymphs: the soul of the forest”
July 24 – September 7, 2018.
Espaço de Arte Francis Bacon – Ordem Rosacruz (AMORC)
Rua Nicarágua, 2620 – Bacacheri – 82515-260 – Curitiba, Paraná
Free admission
Tuesday to Friday, 1:30pm to 5pm
Email: aymanesmandar@gmail.com
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum