An ambitious and current student at The Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET) Esmael Taqi sought a degree in the arts in hopes of teaching it in the future. He is a 21 years old artist, fully living his creative youth by dedicating himself to learn more about art every day. He has already sold several pieces and his progress continues to rise and shine through with his skills ever developing.

Esmael’s passion for art started with graffiti; he would sit in bed, grab his markers and paper to illustrate and create new fonts. As cool as graffiti is, and as much as Esmael admires the bold artists who use old techniques and calculated steps, he found it difficult to transfer his vision  from paper onto a wall due to a lack of the specific spray paint techniques required to effectively do so. But he says “As I started getting older with graffiti, I realized that it’s not getting more expressive. I always wished to invest time in myself on getting better at graffiti, but it’s not my cup of tea anymore.” 

That was when Esmael got introduced to finer arts, it was more fluid and expressive. At the time, he was taught by a teacher who truly cared about art, and that’s rare to find, especially in public schools here in Kuwait. “He was a teacher with a graphic design company, he designs logos and I used to sometimes create fonts for him. He really wanted us to just create, not like every art teacher in a public school who just sits, leaves a paper with a pencil, and that’s it. He showed me that there’s an actual way to be appreciated as an artist, if you really work hard,” Esmael says. 

Esmael’s main inspiration comes from life itself, to him life is the art. It used to be artists in general, but he believes that people are always going to be inspiring. “It’s just that life is always inspiring, the sadness of it are lessons, the happiness of it are lessons too,” he says. He feeds off of these lessons, and applies this energy onto the canvas in front of him liberally. What Esmael also includes in his art is mixed media which provides endless possibilities, as he says, “It’s broader than just a brush and a paint, it can be so many things. Mixed media is literally the field of everything.” 

At such a young age, the artist is already on the road of experimentation to gradually build his skills. For example, once he learns a new technique, Esmael repeats it until he masters it. Why? “Because it’s going to be added eventually to your other techniques, it’s like a tree of skills,” he says, and he will grow and reap the benefits of these fruits. Esmael also expressed his appreciation of art galleries and exhibitions. To him, it’s a classy way of showcasing art since you don’t necessarily need to interact with the viewer, it’s for them to form their own perspectives, absorb the artwork, and appreciate the artistry behind it. 

Even though he explores his own art inspirations which come from life around him here, Esmael believes that Kuwait needs more originality. The issue is not as bad as it may seem, but he goes on to explain that, “We get inspired so easily from other cultures that we forget we have a culture of our own to build. It’s hard seeing lack of originality and just feeding off of other cultures, copying, instead of us really building a new one for our art. What does a culture need? An identity, and what is a culture without an identity? Lost and uncertain.” He also emphasizes the impact of that point on the younger generation, as Esmael would love to see more appreciation of creative youth from the community. 

Lately, the artist has recently ventured into the music world and at the moment is working on a mixtape called “The Fear and Loathing Tape”. Esmael will not stop building his tree of skills, because music offers endless possibilities, as much as painting, and he himself is passionate about total immersion into different creative dimensions.  

TRUTH OR DARE QUESTIONNAIRE

How would your mother describe you in one word?

Loving.

How would you describe your mother in one word? 

A journey.

What is the most ridiculous question you’ve ever been asked? 

Isn’t the entertainment city shut down?

What is the most spontaneous thing you’ve ever done?  

Crashed two cars in one day.

What is your theme song? 

“God Bless the Dead” by 2pac. 

What word in the English or Arabic language do you wish you had invented? 

Freedom. 

Where would you like to live? 

In a park.

What is your dream retirement location?

Heaven.

What is the first famous quote that comes to your mind? 

“Stay hungry, stay foolish.”

Which animal best describes your perfect partner, be it in business, or in life? 

A black panther.

Do you miss anything from your childhood and if so, what is it? 

Playing football with a soda can. 

If you could change your name, to what would you change it?

Essa Dashti –‭ ‬عيسى‭ ‬دشتي

How would you describe your handshake, in one word? 

It involves a handshake.

What is the toughest part of your character? 

Perseverance. 

Who is your favorite historical figure? 

Martin Luther. 

What in the world do you least desire? 

Comfort.

What do you think is lacking in the world, which [if there were more of it] would make the world a better place?

More understanding. 

Why do you think most people who do, like you? 

I don’t really know.

Finish this sentence: “Happiness is…”  

An illusion. 

Check out Esmael’s art on his Instagram page @esmaeltaqi. Featured image taken by Yousef Almeer, @yousefist on Instagram.