São Paulo – Up until the 30th this month, the Brazilian Museum of Sculpture (MuBe) will host the Mail Art Cupcake show, featuring over 220 cupcake-shaped dolls designed by Brazilian and foreign artists. Among them is one single Arab, Tunisia’s Haythem Slaimi, who will show his work for the first time in the country.
Slaimi lives in Tunisia, but wants to promote his work in Brazil. He holds a degree in Mathematics, started making art as a hobby and later decided to bet on it. “People used to tell me I had talent,” he says. He started working as a designer and painting Arab-themed pictures.
Brazil’s hosting of the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games have attracted the Tunisian’s attention to the country, so he decided to start building his international career from here. “Art from the Arab world is different, but Brazil and the Arab world are deeply entwined. I have found many dishes and words of Arab origin in Brazil,” says Slaimi.
Slaimi created the doll to be featured at the MuBe show in the style of his homeland. The doll, A mulher árabe (The Arab woman), is a depiction of some of the shapes and colours found in Tunisia. The doll is made of plastic, but is reminiscent of a cupcake. The artist believes his brand of art can become successful in Brazil. “I have realized that the people in Brazil like the Arab world. I want to showcase my art in Brazil and hold a show of my pictures here,” he says.
In order to promote his work, Slaimi also paints portraits of celebrities, like the TV Globo network actress Suzi Rego and the North American singer Lana Del Rey. The Tunisian artist has managed to present them with the pictures during performances given by them in São Paulo.
Another widespread element in Slaimi’s work is Arabic calligraphy. Many of his pictures include Arabic letters and sentences, and he also paints pictures on demand with the customers’ names written in Arabic.
Those interested in becoming better acquainted with the artist’s work can check out his Facebook page: http://migre.me/gWsA5.
Service
Mail Art Cupcake
Up until December 30
MuBe
Address: Av. Europa, 218, São Paulo
Tuesdays to Sundays from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm
Admittance of free
For information call +55 11 2594-2601 or email mube@mube.art.br
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
