From Esmee to Esmeralda

Who am I?

My name corresponding to my passport is Esmee Mlihi. However, if I listen to my intuition it’s actually Esmeralda Mlihi Terraneo that resonates. Since I love the concept from South America where children have both the names of their parents. And this passion for South American dance and culture extends as well literally and conceptually in Esmeralda.

Picture: Artist in residence, Olinda, Brazil 2023

What does my heart say?

When I was 18, I doubted between de dance or art academy. Based on fear my head won over my heart and I choose to compromise for financial security. I studied architecture at the TU Delft. Became an architect, design thinker, and data engineer. Now 17 years later, I feel no fear anymore and I hear my heart again. And it says: “Play, enjoy life, dance in many ways, create your beauty and momentum, and show it to the world.”

Picture: Artist in residence at La Jetee, NDSM art city, Amsterdam 2023

Why I paint

Ever since I was a child playing and dancing under the mango trees of our house, I can't seem to shake my love for aesthetic motion. From my first steps in Niger until today, I have been moving on rhythms naturally. Traveling trough different dance styles during puberty and later as a architectural student improvising all that I knew at techno festivals. At the age of 26, just after graduation, I came home. I discovered Tango. Sensational zen, homeostase, in touch with my core and therefore in touch with life and others. I discovered through abstract art I could finally share that sensation and tell stories for others to be inspired by in their day-to-day lives. Dancing Tango is an integral part of my practice and it's beautiful how every time it transports me right back to being that playful child under the mango tree again.

My Story

Growing up as the youngest of 2 children I marvelled at how my parents could harness a pencil, a music instrument, a sewing machine or a hammer to create something beautiful that didn't exist before. Their courage to just do and improvise fuelled my passion to never stop creating, as they told me over and over again, yes of course you can do anything you want. Just do it and enjoy the proces. We didn't have a lot of money growing up but my parents where creative and had strategic long term plans. They showed me by transforming an old french farm, that anything with time, persistence and joy is possible. So here I went to Montessori high school, to spend the most possible hours at drawing, construction and theatre class. Studied architecture at the TU Delft to combine my love for technique and aesthetics. After eight amazing years of working as an architect, design thinker and data engineer, I started this adventure of my childhood. Creating art, with my dancing mind and painting hands.