Today we’d like to introduce you to Anwar Mahdi.
Anwar, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Being a queer POC growing up in the Chicago suburbs I already felt so out of place so art has always been an outlet for me to express my struggles, insecurities and traumas growing up. I knew since I was a child that creating was my main focus and there is nothing else I’d rather be doing and when I become so sure of something and really believe in myself I get so stubborn yet focused and I’m not satisfied until I reach my goal.
Growing up I was such a strange child and it carried on into my adulthood, I was always obsessed with the magical and the fantastical. I’d spend hours as a child trapped in my head playing out scenarios of me as a character I created fighting all sorts of monsters and having in-depth conversations with other characters, essentially I built this paracosm in my mind filled with so much vibrancy and detail down to the buttons on a shirt and the types of flora and fauna that existed in this world. My paracosm would go through so many different evolutions, but the formula would always be the same, the characters would always be similar to the last and were always different representations of myself.
Naturally, I became interested in mythology because of the rich narratives, and epic sagas/tragedies following heroes, whether blessed by gods or cursed fighting their hardest battles and going through a mix of emotions. I felt like they were very relatable to my life so I began creating my own mythological narrative by fusing existing mythologies, and queer/feminist theory with events in my life. These often took form in long scroll-like drawings with multiple scenes happening in one massive scene, as well as oil paintings of just one strong composition of a scene that would exist in my scrolls. I often think my body of work is yet another evolution of my paracosm but in a tangible form.
The main protagonist in my narrative is the goddess of love and beauty Venus and she acts as my vessel throughout my work. I first became interested in her because she represents something so pure and innocent, as well as divine feminine energy and I thought it was interesting to have her assume the role of her male counterpart Mars the god of war and fire. I wanted to make her this warrior goddess that disassembled the patriarchy within pantheons and have it sort of reflect my life and growth.
I’m currently working on having my work exist as more than just paintings and drawings by thinking in installation/ceramic work and converting a gallery space into a temple to house my work because I feel when creating such in-depth worlds and narratives it demands to bring it into the physical world to get the full experience. Currently, I’ve been working on commission work, as well as being a part of numerous gallery shows which I’m very thankful to have so soon after graduating!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Absolutely not. Nothing about working my way to becoming an artist has been easy so any accomplishment I do make is so rewarding and so worth it to me. I’m finally coming to a point in my career where I feel like I’m being respected for my choice. Growing up my parents thought me wanting to be an artist was a joke and I’d eventually outgrow it when it comes time to graduate high school and apply to colleges, but I remained persistent and eventually convinced them to attend The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, which I graduated last May.
Since graduating I kept a level of motivation and productivity that allowed me to continue making a lot of different pieces and experimenting and growing with my work. It’s definitely given me a lot of opportunities and gallery shows that I appreciate, but I never allowed myself a break and struggle with feeling burnt out, but still needing to produce work to show and sell. I’ve only just begun my career and am open and willing to learn and adapt when necessary.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Anwar Mahdi story. Tell us more about the business.
I’m an artist based in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood working in predominantly painting and drawing.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I think being from the Chicagoland area and coming from the School of the Art Institute I got lucky in the connections I’ve made throughout the years and maintaining them even afterwards. I feel like Chicago is such a great supportive environment that really helps up and coming artists who are starting their career.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2432 N Drake Ave Chicago, IL 60647
- Website: cargocollective.com/anwarmahdi
- Phone: 6302709001
- Email: anwaramahdi@gmail.com
- Instagram: boi_venus
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