Last Friday, August 16, a smiling Isabella Mebarak presented her exhibition ‘When art unites hearts’ at the La Cometa gallery in the city of Miami. The objective of this space is to raise funds to finance medical brigades that care for low-income children in her native Colombia.

It is an exhibition promoted by the Juan José Payares Bustos Foundation, which works for the community of Galerazamba, a small town on the border between Bolívar and Atlántico. At these brigades, a group of doctors evaluate children with cerebral palsy and give them the opportunity to receive surgical interventions in the United States.

The event was attended by Isabella’s greatest inspiration and mentor: music superstar Shakira. Isabella is her niece, daughter of Tonino Mebarak, one of the artist’s closest brothers. Few in the family were surprised, then, that Isabella, 26, also ended up embracing art. Today she studies visual arts in New York and her choice of this path was not only influenced by her famous aunt, but also by her own mother, Eliana, who when she was pregnant used to spend long hours painting in front of a canvas.

Isabella Mebarak is the daughter of Tonino, one of Shakira’s closest brothers and accomplices. | English:Photo: personal archive
“When I was a baby, she would leave me in a diaper and put an apron over me so I could scribble on a wall so she could paint in peace. She is a very creative woman. Those were actually my first works of art, she let me smear myself, without any problem, let me experiment with colors, let me be free and that definitely left its mark on me,” the young woman from Barranquilla tells SEMANA.

She also says that she was influenced by the figure of her grandfather William Mebarak, who lives in the capital of the Atlantic and has had serious health problems for several years. “It is sad, he has not been able to speak for two years, which was one of the things he most enjoyed doing. He was a great reader and he instilled in us that love for reading, for books,” Isabella remembers.

The singer’s niece dazzled on social networks. Context: Isabella Mebarak, Shakira’s niece, will have her first art exhibition at the Palacio De La Proclamación in Cartagena
“As a child, I remember the lunches that were organized there in Barranquilla on Sundays. I would read an entire book the week before just to be able to discuss it with my grandfather; it was a pleasure to hear him talk, to enjoy his wisdom. That filled your soul,” says the young woman.

It was with this powerful influence on her back that Isabella was creating, little by little, her own stamp as an artist. Always, she says, marked by a strong social component, which is why it has been common to see her participating in numerous art auctions to finance different causes. “That is something I learned from my aunt, who has always been generous, she enjoys helping others. The times we live in are not easy and those of us who have had a more privileged life are called to help others,” says the artist.

Shakira and her niece, Isabella Mebarak
Shakira and her niece, Isabella Mebarak. | Photo: Twitter: @Shakira
A brilliant niece
Colombians knew of her talent from the days when Shakira made the world sing with Music Sessions, Vol. 53, the catchy song that gave broken hearts one of her greatest slogans: “Women no longer cry, women bill.”

Isabella took the phrase, printed it on a sweatshirt and showed it to her mother. And Eliana, without further pretensions, showed it to the singer. Shakira, happy, later showed it off through her social networks. That day, the world learned that creativity was almost a hallmark of the Mebarak family.

Isabella, who has also studied at art schools in Europe and Los Angeles, confesses that she has asked her aunt for advice on her artistic work several times. “Perhaps one of the most valuable pieces of advice she gave me was the day we talked about inspiration, what to do when it doesn’t come. When you’re faced with a blank page. She told me that just as she never stops writing her songs, I will never stop painting. Even if I don’t like what I paint at that moment. Inspiration, my aunt says, is not necessarily something that comes and goes. It is a skill that must be trained. And the only way to do it is by creating,” says the artist from Barranquilla, the eldest of a home of three siblings, along with Tarik and Najwa. The latter also embraced music, like her aunt, although more from a young age.