Asrar Semender: Everyone who looks at my paintings feels the happiness that I reflect through painting

Asrar Semender is a visual artist and writer in the field of art as well. Semender left his original homeland, Iraq, with his family, due to the situation in Iraq and the harassment he was subjected to as an artist. Therefore, Asrar decided to leave Iraq and went to Holland first and then to Sweden in 2008. Asrar received his education in Iraq, where he specialized in machinery, equipment and automobile manufacturing, and also obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts. Semender also continued his studies after he moved to Sweden and traveled to Egypt to complete his master’s study in Fine Arts in 2017, after that he obtained a doctorate as well. Semender participated in several Arab exhibitions, including in Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, Iraq and Syria. In addition, he wrote two books in the field of art and modern technological techniques, in Arabic. Currently, he works as a fine art teacher and art critic.

- The reason for moving to Sweden is my love for Sweden and its people, in addition to that, there are opportunities available for one to learn and develop. I certainly faced a difficulty like all those coming to a new country, and of course the difficulty lies in the new language, which is the first obstacle that stands in front of the newcomer to any new country and must be overcome In order to integrate and get a job opportunity, and this is what I focused on at the beginning, as I studied all the stages of learning the language.The other difficulty that any newcomer to Sweden may face in particular is the difficulty of making friends, and the reason is the fear of immigrants, in addition to the difference in cultures. Says Asrar Semender.

In addition to his work as an artist, Asrar worked in Iraq as a teaching professor. In addition, he had his own company for aluminum and glass works. He has been working in Sweden as a drawing teacher since 2015.

- I work in manual works such as carpentry, drawing and coloring, in addition to that, I recently wrote two books in the field of art and modern technological techniques, including a book (Virtual Reality in Science and Art) and another book entitled (The blending of architectural construction with digital technology and nanotechnology in the contemporary arts), both of which have been published in Arabic. As well as I work as an art critic for artworks. As Asrar Semender says.

What are you trying to reflect through your paintings?

First of all, in order to paint, I must be in a good mood to be able to draw. I always try to mix ideas and come up with new ideas that can be embodied on the paintings. Secondly, the artwork or the painting mainly reflects the psychological state in which the artist lives, and the environment in which he lives. Art for me is an expression of the feelings in me. Drawing makes me feel happy, as I reflect the state of happiness I live in the paintings I draw. As everyone who looks at my paintings feels that happiness that I had when I was painting the painting. People have fun when they look at my paintings. And when I see that, I feel that I have achieved my goal in drawing, which is to delight people through drawing. I have sold a lot of paintings and donated some. My wife also kept some.

Have you held art exhibitions in Sweden or abroad?

- I did not have the opportunity to participate in exhibitions in Växjö or Sweden, and the reason was the lack of relations. But I participated in a lot of Arab exhibitions, such as Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, Iraq and Syria. I am currently the head of an arts forum. I hope to get attention from the competent authorities that hold art exhibitions in Sweden, and that I will be invited to participate in them and display my paintings.

With regard to writing and authoring, are there other books you are currently writing, and will you continue to write in the artistic field, or do you intend to write on other topics?

I am an artist, writer and art critic, and therefore I will continue to write in the art field. I currently have a book I am writing about "Modern Techniques Used in Art". I also intend to translate my two books which are published in Arabic into Swedish.

Has life in Sweden helped you to develop in artistic and other aspects?

Yes, firstly I had the opportunity to complete my masters and doctoral studies in Egypt. I also had the opportunity to write in the artistic field, and to work as a teacher of fine art. On the other hand, devoting time to work to improve the economic situation makes it difficult for any artist to devote himself to artistic work. When it comes to marketing my paintings, the geographic area you live in no longer matters, because social media has made the world a small village.