Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alia Bensliman. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alia, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
The first Artwork that I worked on after I moved to the USA was “Motherhood” a 31″x39″ piece that took me about a year to finish because of all the details and symbols I added. In this piece I express my feelings of uncertainty and fear about going into the unchartered territories and the responsibility of bringing a child into this world. It is about the anxiety of raising a child and being a good parent, in contrast with the extreme joy of becoming a mother, of a son my first child.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Alia Bensliman.I was born and raised in Tunisia, North Africa. I am a full time Mom and a full time Artist. I always say that I learned how to draw in my mother’s womb so I was interested in drawing and painting at a very young age.
Tunisia is at a crossroad of Eastern and ancient art and cultures on one hand and Western
more contemporary art on the other. My art reflects a fusion of east and west with a penchant for North African and Berber art.
Since childhood I struggled with learning disability like Dyslexia so school was very challenging and I felt misunderstood until I went to Fine Art School. I was able to find myself in a comfortable environment where I can thrive.
I am a multi disciplinary Artist, photographer, I draw, I paint, I make my own watercolor palette out of non toxic natural pigments, I assist my customers with interior design using my artwork that they purchased, I’m a jewelry designer. I am an educator. I also volunteer in my community.
What makes my work unique is that I use a combination of intricate lines, shapes and repetitive patterns that I usually enhance with alcohol and water based markers, ink, gold and silver oil based paint and watercolors to create the desired textures and intensity mostly on Archival paper.
All my drawings are full of symbols and meaning that explain my sentiments about milestones in my life, my past experiences and my everyday life. I also try to express my views about current sociopolitical issues, health issues, religions and human rights. But I also try to draw in a way that allows the viewers to interpret the pieces in their own way. The goal of my drawings is to intrigue, engage and provoke thought and reflection from the viewers. The intricate level of detail in each piece allows the viewer to discover more details and make new interpretations each time they view the piece.
I showed my work in New York, New Jersey and had commissions all over the US and overseas.
I am currently getting ready for my new solo show “From North Africa to North America” which will be from February 10th till April 8th at the Hutchins Galleries. I was invited by the Lawrencville School in New Jersey. They finally reopened their galleries after 6 years hiatus from being closed for renovation. I’m honored to have been selected as one of the first artists to have a solo show at this prestigious gallery.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
When I was in fine art school I was criticized by a group of professors because they were not fan of my line work techniques. they even told me to try to adopt another style or to change completely to another career. it made me feel very negative about my art and I stopped creating and painting for few years. Lucky, I got an opportunity to move to the US, live the big dream and re do everything from scratch in new county, a new town, and new friends. I started working again and created new artwork and continued to develop my techniques with more details and intricacies, using gold leafing technique. I also started making my own watercolor palettes out of natural and non toxic pigments. I also started to design jewelry made out of recycled magazine papers and other renewables.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
My ultimate goal through my artistic journey, is to advocate for invisible illnesses: – Mental health like anxiety, depression, bipolar disorders
as well as other chronic diseases like:
– Migraine, fibromyalgia, interstitial cystitis, and any invisible disabilities that cause chronic pain.
An invisible disability is classified as a physical, mental, or neurological condition that is not visible from the outside yet can limit or challenge a person’s movements, senses, or activities. Unfortunately these conditions are misunderstood because of a lack of information and lack of visible symptoms.
Affected people generally, won’t talk about their daily challenges because talking about invisible illnesses is still taboo and they need to protect themselves. My goal is to create art that would advocate for these issues and hopefully break the taboo.
As I struggle myself with chronic illnesses, my work plays a big role in my healing process. As I start drawing or painting, I enter into a sort of trance that takes me deep into a world or cocoon that I feel is specially created for myself where I start to create waves of soothing repetitive lines and dots telling or developing a story. Each story is different. Each story would talk about how I feel at the moment, whether it’s sadness, happiness, or pain. My work has definitely been my best coping skill tool.
Contact Info:
- Website:www.aliabenslimanart.com
- Instagram: alia_bensliman_art
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/doodlesdiary/
Image Credits
image credits: Andrew Wilkinson
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