Striking sculptures

BAHRAIN-BASED creative Juliana Maroto is bringing her vibrant Latin American culture to art enthusiasts on the island through her paper mache models and is set to conduct her workshops this month.

The sessions titled ‘Alebrijes Pape Mache’ will educate participants on the paper sculptures and their history while teaching them how to create their own.

Said to have originated in Mexico City, Alebrijes are whimsical carvings depicting imaginary creatures painted with intense colours and intricate patterns, often crafted using the cartonería (cardboard) technique, also known as paper mache, which involves using paper and glue to create art pieces.

“Back home, I got to visit an exhibition on Alebrijes, where I learned more about it, further increasing my appreciation for the country’s art community. The experience inspired me to conduct a workshop on it. I’m excited to share my knowledge with art lovers in Bahrain,” Costa Rican expat Juliana told GulfWeekly.

“Costa Rican culture shares a lot with Mexican culture, for example, the masks created for Masquerades Day use the same technique as the one used to make the Alebrijes.”

Masquerades Day is a national cultural holiday on October 31 and celebrates Costa Rican culture and heritage.

The creative talent, who moved to Bahrain four years ago, has a Master’s degree in curating and arts management from ADEN University and Catalunya Polytechnic University, along with a specialisation in cultural management from George Washington University, and extensive experience teaching art to kids and adults.

“Bahrain is home to people of different nationalities, and has introduced me to not only the local community, but also artists that come from other cultures, I’ve also noticed there’s a great appreciation of the Latin American culture in Bahrain, so I thought one thing that is worth sharing from our culture is the love and respect for nature, often shown in our extensive art scene back home. The Alebrijes are a way to bring that here through these colourful sculptures,” she added, nodding to the ‘reuse’ of paper in the art form. Environmental well-being is an integral part of Juliana’s practice.

The 37-year-old is the newest addition to the Art Concept gallery team and this will be her first series of workshops with them. However, she has been interested in art since a young age and grew up experimenting with different techniques, painting and sculpture being her favourites.

“As an artist, you have introspectiveness that leads to growing, so when you teach, it gives back, because you get to be in a space where interacting with others regardless of age awakens a lot of inspiration, It’s also very rewarding when you learn that a student was able to overcome a struggle by taking your art class, or when someone gets inspired to the point of embarking on an art career,” the Amwaj resident noted.

The workshop is open to participants of all ages, which comes from Juliana’s desire to bring loved ones together.

“We live in busy times, and I wanted to give people the opportunity to reconnect with family and friends through the workshop, while also making nice memories together,” she added.

For more information on the workshop and the artist, follow @artconceptbh and @julichamar.arte on Instagram.lhaddad

BAHRAIN-BASED creative Juliana Maroto is bringing her vibrant Latin American culture to art enthusiasts on the island through her paper mache models and is set to conduct her workshops this month.

The sessions titled ‘Alebrijes Pape Mache’ will educate participants on the paper sculptures and their history while teaching them how to create their own.

Said to have originated in Mexico City, Alebrijes are whimsical carvings depicting imaginary creatures painted with intense colours and intricate patterns, often crafted using the cartonería (cardboard) technique, also known as paper mache, which involves using paper and glue to create art pieces.

“Back home, I got to visit an exhibition on Alebrijes, where I learned more about it, further increasing my appreciation for the country’s art community. The experience inspired me to conduct a workshop on it. I’m excited to share my knowledge with art lovers in Bahrain,” Costa Rican expat Juliana told GulfWeekly.

“Costa Rican culture shares a lot with Mexican culture, for example, the masks created for Masquerades Day use the same technique as the one used to make the Alebrijes.”

Masquerades Day is a national cultural holiday on October 31 and celebrates Costa Rican culture and heritage.

The creative talent, who moved to Bahrain four years ago, has a Master’s degree in curating and arts management from ADEN University and Catalunya Polytechnic University, along with a specialisation in cultural management from George Washington University, and extensive experience teaching art to kids and adults.

“Bahrain is home to people of different nationalities, and has introduced me to not only the local community, but also artists that come from other cultures, I’ve also noticed there’s a great appreciation of the Latin American culture in Bahrain, so I thought one thing that is worth sharing from our culture is the love and respect for nature, often shown in our extensive art scene back home. The Alebrijes are a way to bring that here through these colourful sculptures,” she added, nodding to the ‘reuse’ of paper in the art form. Environmental well-being is an integral part of Juliana’s practice.

The 37-year-old is the newest addition to the Art Concept gallery team and this will be her first series of workshops with them. However, she has been interested in art since a young age and grew up experimenting with different techniques, painting and sculpture being her favourites.

“As an artist, you have introspectiveness that leads to growing, so when you teach, it gives back, because you get to be in a space where interacting with others regardless of age awakens a lot of inspiration, It’s also very rewarding when you learn that a student was able to overcome a struggle by taking your art class, or when someone gets inspired to the point of embarking on an art career,” the Amwaj resident noted.

The workshop is open to participants of all ages, which comes from Juliana’s desire to bring loved ones together.

“We live in busy times, and I wanted to give people the opportunity to reconnect with family and friends through the workshop, while also making nice memories together,” she added.

For more information on the workshop and the artist, follow @artconceptbh and @julichamar.arte on Instagram.