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Sliman Mansour. Painter. Pintor ESP ENG

Sliman Mansour. Painter. Pintor ESP ENG

ESPAÑOL


Sliman Mansour

Palestina, 1947

Si hay un artista que se considere el padre de la identidad palestina, ese es Sliman Mansour. Nacido en Birzeit, Mansour nació un año antes de la Nakba de 1948, un suceso que marcaría toda su vida y por supuesto, su obra artística, caracterizada por representar la resiliencia del pueblo palestino de la que él ha sido partícipe desde su infancia.

En su adolescencia ya formaba parte de movimientos activistas en pro de los derechos de los palestinos, su herramienta para combatir la opresión ha sido, desde siempre, la pintura. Sliman representa retratos cotidianos que plasman la dificultad de la vida de los palestinos en su propia tierra, alusión que hace a través del uso de colores ocres y materiales como el barro en referencia a su tierra natal. A través de la contemplación de sus obras, el artista invita al espectador a adentrarse en esas vidas que son quebradas por la opresión que sufren día a día.

Desde pequeño ya parecía tener un don en lo que se refiere al dibujo, un pasatiempo que ocupaba parte de sus días con su profesor que le enseñaba pintura, al mismo tiempo que se influenciaba de los libros que encontraba en el ghetto en el que vivía, marcado por el descubrimiento de un libro del artista Diego Rivera. Su estilo realista con toques de expresionismo abstracto y surrealismo muestra su formación académica en Bellas Artes en la Academia Bezalel de Arte y Diseño en Jerusalén. Desde entonces, y con una formación ya establecida, ha dedicado su vida a transformar el panorama artístico árabe palestino, dándole una visión más social.

A través del concepto «Sumud» Sliman representa la fuerza y la identidad del pueblo palestino, un término que alude a la perseverancia de la comunidad desde una perspectiva más bien ideológica y política en lo que se refiere a la resistencia de la ocupación israelí.

«Para mí, sumud significa no olvidar quiénes somos y luchar por nuestra libertad»


En 1973 co-fundó la «League of Palestinian Artists», una organización que promocionaba a artistas locales por primera vez, organizando exposiciones en Ramallah, Nablus, Nazareth e incluso en Gaza. Posteriormente, abrió la Galería 79 en Ramallah, un pequeño espacio que acabó cerrando porque los soldados israelíes se presentaban a las inauguraciones y se llevaban las obras que consideraban no aptas de ser expuestas por su contenido simbólico.

De la misma forma, fue pionero en el uso de la Sandía como símbolo del movimiento palestino, una alegoría a la que artistas como Sliman se agarraron a causa de la censura que estableció la ley israelí en el uso de los colores verde, rojo, negro y blanco por hacer referencia a la bandera palestina, un motivo más por el cual su obra fue prohibida en varias ocasiones.

«Creo en el arte como instrumento social, no como decoración para las casas de la gente rica».

Su influencia ha llegado tan lejos que hoy en día la Sandía es el símbolo de la resistencia palestina a nivel internacional, igual que toda su obra, formando parte de exposiciones colectivas e individuales por todo el mundo. Una voz de la resiliencia palestina a través del arte, una herramienta a través de la cual Sliman tiene fe en que pueda servir para eliminar las fronteras.

Sliman Mansour: “Una de las principales características del arte palestino actual es la falta de color” El pintor Sliman Mansour, nacido en 1947 en Birzeit, durante el Mandato Británico de Palestina, comparte una conversación sobre arte, historia y narrativas con Frank Barat. 

 

ENGLISH

Sliman Mansour

Sliman Mansour Palestine, 1947
 
If there is an artist considered the father of Palestinian identity, it is Sliman Mansour.
 
Born in Birzeit, Mansour was born a year before the Nakba of 1948, an event that would mark his entire life and, of course, his artistic work, characterized by representing the resilience of the Palestinian people, in which he has participated since childhood.
 
In his adolescence, he was already part of activist movements for Palestinian rights. His tool for combating oppression has always been painting. Sliman depicts everyday scenes that capture the hardship of Palestinian life in their own land, an allusion he makes through the use of ochre colors and materials like clay, referencing his homeland.
 
 
Through the contemplation of his works, the artist invites the viewer to delve into the lives shattered by the oppression they endure daily. From a young age, he seemed to possess a gift for drawing, a pastime that occupied part of his days with his teacher, who taught him painting. He was also influenced by the books he found in the ghetto where he lived, a period marked by the discovery of a book by the artist Diego Rivera.
 
His realistic style, with touches of abstract expressionism and surrealism, reflects his academic training in Fine Arts at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem. Since then, with his established training, he has dedicated his life to transforming the Palestinian Arab art scene, giving it a more social perspective.
 
Through the concept of "Sumud," Sliman represents the strength and identity of the Palestinian people, a term that alludes to the community's perseverance from a primarily ideological and political perspective regarding their resistance to the Israeli occupation.
 
“For me, sumud means not forgetting who we are and fighting for our freedom.”
 
In 1973, he co-founded the League of Palestinian Artists, an organization that promoted local artists for the first time, organizing exhibitions in Ramallah, Nablus, Nazareth, and even Gaza. Later, he opened Gallery 79 in Ramallah, a small space that eventually closed because Israeli soldiers would show up at the openings and confiscate works they deemed unsuitable for display due to their symbolic content.
 
Similarly, he pioneered the use of the watermelon as a symbol of the Palestinian movement, an allegory that artists like Sliman embraced because of the censorship imposed by Israeli law on the use of the colors green, red, black, and white, as they allude to the Palestinian flag—yet another reason why his work was banned on several occasions.
 
“I believe in art as a social instrument, not as decoration for the homes of rich people.”
 
His influence has reached so far that today the Watermelon is the international symbol of Palestinian resistance, as is all his work, appearing in group and solo exhibitions worldwide. A voice of Palestinian resilience through art, a tool Sliman believes can help eliminate borders. 
 
Frank Barat, interview:
What a true honour to talk to Sliman Mansour, one of the most distinguished and renowned artists in Palestine.
In this conversation, Sliman discusses the profound impact of the ongoing conflict in Gaza on Palestinian art and identity. He reflects on the historical context of artistic expression as a means of asserting Palestinian existence amidst attempts at erasure.
 
He also emphasizes the importance of narrative in both Israeli and Palestinian contexts, the role of aging in his artistic journey, and the significance of collective movements in art. He finally explores the themes of steadfastness and connection to the land, ultimately sharing his vision for his legacy as an artist and activist.
 
The project "Viva Palestina Libre-Subtitles against the Occupation" collaborates by preparing the Spanish subtitles of several of the interviews. These are usually added 2 to 3 days after the original interview is uploaded. Every time the subtitles of an interview are available it is announced on their instagram account (@viva_palestina_libre). On their blog you can find all the subtitled interviews: https://memoriapresente.net/subtitulo...

 

 

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