Hidden in the tall, winding hills of the Alfama district, between a convenience store and an alleyway, a small, concrete archway burrows itself into its surroundings. Outside lay sheets of cardstock, with words scrawled across in thick, bulky lettering: “Painted with red wine and coffee.”
The inside isn’t expansive, perhaps 49 square meters total. Paintings line the walls, with dark black figures gesturing toward oneself, sweeping brown landscapes reminiscent of Portuguese countrysides. Paintings depicting samurais, nature, and even Cristo Rei. At his workspace, sits Rouslam Botiev, his now silver hair tied back into a neatly kept bun.
Botiev was originally born in the Great Steppe, a temperate grassland belt that stretches across Europe and Asia. Since his move in 2002, Botiev has resided in Lisbon where according to him “the city’s steep streets have become a second language for his hand.” Botiev uses his art to connect his two cultures, where he says he “build(s) a bridge between two ancient cultures...drawing parallels between nomadic memory and Atlantic longing.”
Each year, Botiev creates thousands upon thousands of paintings, because according to him “rhythm is essential to life.” The process may take less than 7 minutes, which Botiev demonstrated for us, his brush quickly gliding across the page. It seemed as if his hand knew before the rest of us, maybe even before him himself, what the painting was to become. After he was finished, Botiev neatly wrapped up the painting and presented it to us as a “gift.”
Botiev’s paintings are often inspired by other works, usually written by Portuguese authors.
“When I arrived (in Portugal) and wanted to get to know the people, I started making portraits of Portuguese writers and poets,” Botiev said.
Botiev works with many mediums, from India ink, to watercolor and acrylic, but his most profound work is created with two everyday necessities in Portugal – red wine and coffee. Botiev says that these everyday materials “evoke warmth, ritual, and a red that is both intimate and historical” to Portuguese life.
However, painting is not Botiev’s only pastime. If you stay long enough in his store, he will show you another one of his creations – his music. Electronic beats will spill out from the speakers as he unfolds manilla folders containing the lyrics to each song. Inevitably, you will dance along.
Since 2002, Botiev has partook in roughly 31 exhibitions, where he displaces his work series. His most recent took place this year in Alfama, where he displayed ink portraits of Aleksei Pozdneev, the first Mongolist director of the Oriental Institute.