Salem Beiruti has had a Marvel-ous year. The artist helped Ruth E. Carter, the costume designer of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, in crafting the concept art for Namor, the superhuman leader of the underwater city of Tlālōcān, which was inspired by Indigenous cultures.
Beiruti also has a fantastic origin story. Born in Lebanon, he traveled to Spain to pursue his art, which reflects his love of mythology and the male form. As Beiruti tells it, while the other boys were dreaming of a little mermaid, “I was the only kid sitting by the seashore dreaming of that merman! That little kid grew up and became an artist.”
Read on for more visions from Beiruti’s world.
What first inspired you to become an artist?
I had this dream since I
