Yuhana Nashmi

Yuhana Nashmi (Arabic: يوهانا النشمي; Mandaic: ࡉࡅࡄࡀࡍࡀ ࡍࡀࡔࡌࡉ, Modern Mandaic pronunciation: [juˈhana ˈnaʃmi]; also known as Sheikh Alaa Nashmi or Ala’a Nashmi; علاء النشمي^[1][2]: 21) is an Iraqi-Australian visual artist and ceramicist.^[3][4]

Tarmida Yuhana Nashmi
يوهانا النشمي
Born	Ala’a Nashmi (Arabic: علاء النشمي) Baghdad, Iraq
Notable work	100 Souls 100 Stories 100 Tiles
Style	Contemporary art; Mandaean art
Website	www.neshmart.com

Artwork by Yuhana Nashmi, installed at the front of Yahya Yuhana Mandi's indoor baptismal pool

Early life

Nashmi was born in Baghdad, Iraq.^[5] His malwasha (baptismal name) is Ram bar Sharat Semat (Classical Mandaic: ࡓࡀࡌ ࡁࡓ ࡔࡀࡓࡀࡕ ࡎࡉࡌࡀࡕ, romanized: Ram br Šarat Simat). In Iraq, he was initiated as a tarmida. He immigrated to Australia in the early 2000s after living in Amman, Jordan from 1998–2000.^[6]

Career

In the mid-2010s, Nashmi collaborated with Christine Robins (née Allison) of the University of Exeter on The Worlds of Mandaean Priests project to document the Mandaean priesthood. Nashmi served as a field worker and cultural consultant for the project.^[7]

In 2018, Nashmi created Sh-ken-ta, an exhibition of a shkinta (reed house used for Mandaean priestly rituals), as a site-specific installation at the Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre.^[8][9]

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.^[6][10] The tiles have been exhibited at the Campbelltown Arts Centre.^[11]

Nashmi also exhibited artwork at the Georges River in 2022.^[12] As of 2023, he currently works in art psychotherapy and ceramics tutoring, and runs NeshmART Studio in the Sydney metropolitan area.^[13]

Personal life

Nashmi has a Labrador Retriever named Neshma (Classical Mandaic: ࡍࡉࡔࡌࡀ, romanized: Nišma, lit. 'Soul'; pronounced [ˈniʃma]),^[14] who also works as a therapy dog.^[6]

Bibliography

• Nickerson, Angela; Melhem, Esber; Steel, Zachary; Nashmi, Yuhana; Bryant, Richard; Al-Zuhairi, Bushra; Silove, Derrick; Al-Zuhairi, Fayhaa; Touze, Dominique Le (2008). The Wellbeing of Sydney Mandaeans. ISBN 978-0-646-50464-3.