Yuhana Nashmi (;

Mandaic Mandaic may refer to: * Mandaic language * Mandaic alphabet The Mandaic alphabet is a writing system primarily used to write the Mandaic language. It is thought to have evolved between the second and seventh century CE from either a cursive fo ...

: ; also known as Sheikh Alaa Nashmi or Ala’a Nashmi; ) is an Iraqi-Australian visual artist and ceramicist.

Early life

Nashmi was born in

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

, Iraq. His ''malwasha'' (

baptismal name A Christian name, sometimes referred to as a baptismal name, is a religious name, religious personal personal name, name given on the occasion of a Christian baptism, though now most often given by parents at birth. In Anglosphere, English-spe ...

) is Ram bar Sharat Semat (). In Iraq, he was initiated as a

tarmida A tarmida (singular form in , plural form in ; ; ) is a junior Mandaean priest, priest in Mandaeism. Ganzibras, or head priests, rank above tarmidas.Drower, E. S. 1960. ''The Secret Adam: A Study of Nasoraean Gnosis''. Oxford: Clarendon Press. ...

. He immigrated to Australia in the early 2000s after living in

Amman Amman ( , ; , ) is the capital and the largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of four million as of 2021, Amman is Jordan's primate city and is the largest city in the Levant ...

, Jordan from 1998–2000.

Career

In the mid-2010s, Nashmi collaborated with Christine Robins (''née'' Allison) of the

University of Exeter The University of Exeter is a research university in the West Country of England, with its main campus in Exeter, Devon. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School of ...

on ''The Worlds of Mandaean Priests'' project to document the Mandaean priesthood. Nashmi served as a field worker and cultural consultant for the project. In 2018, Nashmi created ''Sh-ken-ta'', an exhibition of a

shkinta In Mandaeism, a shkinta () or shkina (''škina'') is a celestial dwelling inhabited by uthras in the World of Light that is analogous to the shekhinah in Jewish mysticism. In Tibil (the physical earth), it refers to a reed or mud hut that is u ...

(reed house used for Mandaean priestly rituals), as a site-specific installation at the

Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre (CPAC), commonly referred to as Casula Powerhouse, is a multi-disciplinary arts centre in Casula, New South Wales, Casula, a south-western outer suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Before being renovated a ...

. In 2020, Nashmi published the book ''100 Souls 100 Stories 100 Tiles'', a collection of 100 ceramic tiles made by members of the Mandaean community in Australia. The tiles have been exhibited at the

Campbelltown Arts Centre Campbelltown Arts Centre (CAC) is a multidisciplinary contemporary arts centre located in Campbelltown, New South Wales, south west of Sydney, Australia. History and description Campbelltown Arts Centre opened in 2005, located on the traditional ...

. Nashmi also exhibited artwork at the

Georges River The Georges River, also known as Tucoerah River, is an intermediate tide-dominated Ria, drowned valley estuary, that is located in Sydney, Australia. The Georges River is located south and south-west from the Sydney central business district, w ...

in 2022. As of 2023, he currently works in art psychotherapy and ceramics tutoring, and runs NeshmART Studio in the

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

metropolitan area.

Personal life

Nashmi has a

Labrador Retriever The Labrador Retriever or simply Labrador or Lab is a British list of dog breeds, breed of water dog retriever gun dog. It was developed in the United Kingdom from St. John's water dogs imported from the Newfoundland Colony, colony of Newfoun ...

named Neshma (; pronounced []), who also works as a therapy dog.

Bibliography

References

External links

*
LinkedInNeshmART
(Yuhana Nashmi's art studio YouTube channel)
Sh-Ken-Ta: The Mandaean Heritage Channel
(Yuhana Nashmi's Mandaeism YouTube channel), including

Qulasta The Qulasta, also spelled Qolastā in older sources (; ), is a compilation of Mandaean prayers. The Mandaic word ''qolastā'' means "collection". The prayerbook is a collection of Mandaic prayers regarding baptisms ('' maṣbuta'') and other sa ...

prayers recited by Yuhana Nashmi
Qadmaiia nukraiia
(Qulasta prelude)
Zhir u-mzahar Zihrun
(Qulasta 2)
Riha ḏ-basim
(Qulasta 8)
ʿsir iama
(Qulasta 15)
Manda Qran
(Qulasta 19)
Hal hiia qadmaiia
(Qulasta 34)
Ṭab ṭaba l-ṭaba
(Qulasta 72)
Qum qum
(Qulasta

106 106 may refer to: * 106 (number), the number * AD 106, a year in the 2nd century AD * 106 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC * 106 (emergency telephone number), an Australian emergency number * 106 (MBTA bus), a route of the Massachusetts Bay Transpor ...

) {{DEFAULTSORT:Nashmi, Yuhana Living people Artists from Baghdad Iraqi ceramists Iraqi emigrants to Australia Iraqi Mandaeans Mandaean priests Australian people of Iraqi descent Australian ceramicists Artists from Sydney Year of birth missing (living people) Australian Mandaeans Tarmidas