Interview with Marcelle Mansour

Marcelle Mansour is a Sydney-based Australian multidisciplinary visual artist. Primarily painter, digital Artist, photographer, light artist, poet, intellectual, published author, bilingual writer/journalist and Peace Ambassador. A thought leader in the art industry whose goal is to empower viewers and aspire for transformation, positive social change and just peace towards a better humanity. She earned two Masters, a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) and a Master of Studio Arts (MSA) from the University of Sydney, and previously a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in English Language & Literature. Her work spans from representational art through to abstract, digital, and light art in a variety of mediums and styles that balance classical insight with contemporary realistic formulation. She has exhibited nationally and internationally in Sydney, New York, Paris (Louvre), Venice, London, Florence and Amsterdam.

Marcelle received numerous art prizes including an Honorary Presidential Award in 2016, the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2017 Queen’s Elizabeth II Birthday Honours, and various Honourable Mention Awards of Artistic Excellence in 2021. She participated in the 21st ‘Biennale of Sydney’ 2018, the ‘XIII Florence Biennale’ 2021, and is a participant in the ‘Modern Art Masters’ 2022, du Louvre Paris. She is currently one of the recipient’s ArtTour International Top 60 Masters Award 2022, New York.

Marcelle was selected as a Cultural Role Model, she won the prizes for her artwork “Women Strength”, and her literary work “Struggle of Women in Australia”. Her “Threshold” art exhibition of Light and Perception, contributed to the UNESCO International Year of Light in Australia, earning her the Ambassador of Peace Award. Marcelle is the author of “Shifting Waves” book that contains her paintings of prominent personalities, women’s multiple roles, landscapes and poetry. Her exhibition of “Treasure Forever” contained portraits of remarkable diverse Australians painted from real life.

Born and raised in Gaza to Palestinian Christian parents from Jaffa who were displaced from their homeland in 1948. She experienced the disaster of wars in her childhood and youth before migrating to Australia. Inspired by her Western-Eastern cultural backgrounds, her artistic voice is shaped by the impact of war affecting women and civilians, reflecting on the global challenges facing the world. Her work displays an in-depth experience of a unique journey into human psychology, values and heritage with a purpose to find hope towards reshaping the reality of humanity.

You were selected to exhibit at Florence Biennale 2021; tell us about your experience and your exhibited work?

Exhibiting my work at the XIII Florence Biennale was a great experience that has positively impacted my art career and given me the advantage to be better well-known and recognised within the contemporary art world. I received an invitation from the President of the Florence Biennale to participate in the XIII Florence Biennale which took place at the Fortezza da Basso (Florence, Italy), from 23 to 31 October 2021. The Curatorial Board visited my website and expressed their favorable opinion about my participation in the Biennale. I became excited to participate in this prestigious exhibition, I especially liked its theme of the Eternal Feminine Eternal Change and I displayed four of my artworks in the exhibition.

The exhibited works conjure realistic topics, and expressive portraits through which I explore the world of knowledge, wisdom and optimism, its beautiful creation, portrayal, and depiction. My painting of Exploring the Joy of Conscience is inspired by the power of having a clear human conscience. Like Lotus and Bamboo Resilient Lucid Dreamer highlights the theme of resilience based on the concept of lucid dreaming and human consciousness. In my polyptych of Brilliant Women Faces, I incorporated traditional and digital mediums at once. I combined the images of the portraits that I traditionally hand painted, with the purple poppy landscape of digital media that I created. The portraits I painted from real life, represent the unsung outstanding women. My painting of Hope for Peace expresses human emotions of longing for peace as an essential part of humanity.

How would you describe yourself and your artwork?

I am a positively ambitious serious artist who is self-motivated to create, explore and learn. Intellectual, analytical, hardworking, patient, speculative, spiritual and optimistic in life.

My work is radiant and significant for it reflects on important humanistic topics and highlights the power of vivid colors that plays a powerful role in viewers’ soul, memory, emotion and energy. Every single artwork is dramatic, rich with the possibility to evoke feelings of curiosity. The directed perception is human, sensuous, rational, spiritual and eternal. There is a symbolic and philosophical thread in my art that penetrates the human soul. This is where I want my viewers to contemplate the inward visual perceptual communication, to open a channel of conversation and to view the unseen. I reflect on human psychology and perception, conscience, consciousness, subconsciousness and unconsciousness to see the inner significance of my art with a purpose to find hope towards reconfiguration humanity and reshaping reality. 

How do you go about beginning a new piece? Do you have an idea already in mind, or do you start working with materials or sketches to find the departure point?

  Yes, I do have a wealth of ideas already in my mind before I begin a new piece. Once I have an idea in my head, I must create it and bring it to life. I have my mind-set as a professional artist and select the tools that match my plan. I don’t wait or seek inspiration. However, when I have an idea in my mind I get inspired by a certain topic, culture, or philosophy that I am familiar with which helps me to achieve my goal. When an idea dwells in my mind and imagination, I take action to make it real on canvas, I get more time to think and research. I get curious to explore new things and gain more experience to master my piece. I always start with a sketch and some key words, however, sometimes my paintings are created as a fluent spontaneous occurrence. 

When do you think your most prolific time of day or week is?

There is no set pattern to how often my prolific time of day appears for I lead a busy life doing other things. However, when I start painting a piece of art or project, I work by a due date to finish it. Most of my painting practice is during weekdays, mornings and afternoons.

What is a barrier you as an artist overcame? Is there anything that enabled you to develop your work as an artist in your life?

I faced some challenges while pursuing a serious art career. Emigrating to Australia as a new home and establishing a family and securing a regular income were not easy. I lead a busy life as a full-time working mother besides practising my art. I always wanted to study fine arts to refine my talent, but I kept delaying it while practicing my art as a self-taught artist even though I wanted to achieve my dream of becoming a professional academic artist. I overcame this barrier through joining local arts associations, having a few private art lessons, attending art sessions and demonstrations for well-known international artists in addition to building a library of art books and magazines in my home. At a mature age, I accomplished two Masters of Fine Arts (MFA) and Studio Arts (MSA) from Sydney College of the Arts, the University of Sydney in Australia. With technology entering the art industry, it serves as a new influence that inspired me infusing it into my artworks. I always liked to learn a new method. I am currently a multidisciplinary artist who works with a variety of mediums using modern techniques to create artworks that are truly reflective of our contemporary time.

Did you have an idea of what you wanted to create right from the beginning?

Yes, I don’t spontaneously create work. I have an idea first of the subject that I want to do and then I form the idea. I usually do sketches before drawing, for sketching is the key to initiate the subject, then I make sure to perfect the drawing for it is the foundation of good paintings and the backbone of realistic portraits. Sometimes I undercoat and go through the process of undercoating with no drawing and keep exploring and correcting until I am happy with the outcome of my work.

What is the meaning of creative inspiration for your work? We’re curious what the narrative or story is to what you are producing?

To me, creative inspiration is an invisible Powerful Source that quickens my thoughts and imagination and influences my soul to be enthusiastic to act on an idea sparkling in my head. I believe that artistic inspiration always comes from God and from the past history of creative people who achieved before us. We are here on this earth and need to continue whatever we can do in this life and to spread the beneficial message to the world.

With the narrative or story that I produce, sometimes I feel an urge to express my feelings towards a particular subject or a cultural aspect including the current global issues, crisis or challenges that people face around the world. An example is my painting Hope for Peace expresses human emotions of longing for peace as an essential part of humanity. It raises my voice to communicate with the world to be heard and better understood. It represents the story of a Palestinian woman who has been experiencing prolonged war with no peace. My work reflects on the reconfiguration of experiences and memories rooted in human personal culture and identity. I textualised the image with symbols and digits related to the subject to evoke a new perception in telling the history of Palestinian cause. Bridging realism, symbolism and expressionism, I focus on the woman’s facial expression that emphasises the virtuous feelings of profound humility, and spirituality. The unique embroidered cross-stitch is a symbol of her cultural heritage and identity. She has the gift of heroic patience that cultivates hope for peace in the hearts of viewers, hoping to end the war and to transfer humanity into a better world. 

Besides your artworks, are there any other things in life that your voice as an artist may consider vital or valuable? What makes you joyful and creative, in other words?

I am a bilingual writer, poet and Journalist contributor in the Australian Ethnic media. I contribute to community work and accept invitations as a Guest Speaker at various occasions of artistic, literal, poetic, and cultural events. I am also involved in designing book covers and logos for my Authors friends. Sometimes my contribution is made on a voluntary basis and that makes me happy, for I believe giving has more value than taking. I like to give more than I take. Having a clear conscience and using it for the benefit of society makes me joyful. Another thing that makes me happy is working on themes and exploring subjects of something more significant and universal, such as optimism, human conscience, peace and hope. This may inspire my viewers by lifting their spirits and creating in their souls’ happy emotions, especially as we are living at this strange time where the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated the existing global crisis. 

Are there any exhibitions or places where people can see these beautiful creations in person soon? Anything on the horizon?

I have already participated in XIII Florence Biennale 2021 (23-31 October 2021, Fortezza da Basso, Florence, Italy), where people can see my work on their website. I will be participating this year in Modern Art Masters 2022 in Complex Du Louvre, Carrousel du Louvre and in the International Art Fair in the Carrousel du Louvre in October 2022. My work will also be featured in VAA Professional Artist Award 2022 in the UK and in Art Eindhoven 2022, Amsterdam, Netherlands. I am currently selected as one of the recipient’s “Art Tour International Top 60 Masters Award” (ATIM) 2022 referred to as “The Oscars for the Visual Arts”. My work is featured in the ArtTour International, of ATIM's 11th Anniversary Issue magazine and will be featured soon in the ArtTour International book. 

Website: http://marcellemansour.com.au/