Building an art career didn’t really happen to Bistyek. Instead it took him by storm.
The Kurdish Syrian refugee who landed in Winnipeg’s Central Park in 2019 had a lot to take in. First he needed to learn English, care for his family members who had arrived with him, and try to locate other family members scattered, or missing, because of the Syrian war.
One day the feeling was overwhelming. He had to paint, on whatever he could find, and maybe all night. The result after a few months was almost 60 paintings, that almost all sold when he found a gallery that would show his work in Winnipeg, and then in Toronto.
The self-taught artist created 12 new banners that surround Central Park and were unveiled and celebrated in a joint project by the Central Park Stewardship Committee, the Winnipeg Arts Council, and the West End BIZ. “It’s very diverse,” said Bistyek, recalling the first days after he arrived in Winnipeg. “It’s a newcomer community, but also an Indigenous community as well. That was very unique, seeing everyone come together.”