khalid says dance

khalid says dance (gif) . 2025

a happy birthday to me – we made it to forty! i can't comprehend it yet since it was only yesterday i was in my thirties (where did this past decade go?!). all i can say is i'm truly blessed with all that life's offered so far. for the big 4-0, i thought i'd commemorate my special day by sharing my favourite thing to do – people should dance more...

followers of my work since the beginning would remember i made a 'khalid says relax' t-shirt almost 15 years ago (see here), inspired by katharine hamnett's iconic tees from the eighties. cut to 2025, and here we are with 'khalid says dance' tees to celebrate my fortieth. thank you to everyone that shared the birthday love. it hasn't gone unnoticed – love to you all... 

ending this post with a photo of me wearing 'khalid says dance' – who wants one?! shoutout to the workshop dxb for coming through with the tees.

'khalid says dance' t-shirt . 2025

palm door

palm door . 2025

'palm door' at 'the print room by the workshop dxb', 'the urban house', sikka art and design festival . 2025

here's my first project for 2025 – a new screenprint in collaboration with the workshop dxb!

the art circus has arrived, and to kick off the season is the sikka art and design festival. happening from january 31 to February 9 2025, the festival takes over a series of houses around the historical al shindagha neighbourhood, showcasing art, design, music and food from homegrown talents, creatives and businesses.

for this year's festival, i'm part of the 'the urban house' (house 196), exhibiting 'palm door' – a three coloured screenprint inspired by the beautiful metal doors found in older, traditional homes that are rarely seen today. the print will be exhibited and for sale at 'the print room by the workshop dxb' at 'the urban house', alongside prints by other participating artists.

i love how the final print turned out, especially the colours! thank you to the workshop dxb's ahmad for the invitation to participate, and for screeprinting 'palm door' at the print shop. if you ever need things screenprinted, the workshop dxb is your go to studio...

make sure to pass by 'the urban house' (house 196) while visiting sikka art and design festival, and get your hands on my screenprint (only 20 printed). it would make me very happy to hear that 'palm door' has sold out...

made in the emirates – volume 1

'made in the emirates – volume 1' front cover . 2024

 

'made in the emirates – volume 1' back cover . 2024

'made in the emirates – volume 1' digital mockup . 2024

'made in the emirates – volume 1' vinyl record sleeve (front) . 2024

'made in the emirates – volume 1' vinyl record sleeve (back) . 2024

'made in the emirates – volume 1' vinyl record label (side a) . 2024

'made in the emirates – volume 1' vinyl record label (side b) . 2024

'made in the emirates – volume 1' cassette (cover) . 2024

'made in the emirates – volume 1' cassette (side a) . 2024

i'm finally getting a chance to write a post about my favourite project i worked on last year – my illustrations are on a vinyl cover!!!

i had the pleasure of working on the artwork for vinyl souk dxb's first compilation record 'made in the emirates – volume 1'. the record features a diverse selection of music by nine artists from the music community. it's a great listen, and a genuine representation of a thriving, homegrown music scene.

i'm really proud to be a part of this important project, and super happy with how the artwork turned out in print. the illustrations of traditional doors and shop fronts, commonly found in older neighbourhoods around dubai and the rest of the emirates, should be familiar to those who have grown up in the uae or have lived here long enough to recognise these illustrated moments. and for the labels, i thought of softer moments within these sprawling neighbourhoods that i find beautiful – encounters with street cats or taking a moment to enjoy a cup of hot karak.

'made in the emirates – volume 1' is out in the world in vinyl and cassette formats (i love the artwork adaptation for the cassette too!). so far, the feedback for the record and the artwork has been extremely positive  – woohoo! to get your very own copy, head to the link here. and for those based in the uae, here's a useful list of all the stores where 'made in the emirates – volume 1' is stocked and available – click here.

i can't end this post without thanking the man behind vinyl souk dxb – jayesh. thank you for the opportunity and giving me a platform to share my illustrations. for those who know me, music is such an important part of my life. to work on a project like this is definitely one of the highlights in my career. thank you to everyone who's shared the love so far, i truly appreciate it. to more music related projects in the future...

east

east . 2024 (photograph by ammar kalo)

east . 2024 (photograph by ammar kalo)

east . 2024 (photograph by ammar kalo)

east . 2024 (photograph by ammar kalo)

happy new year everyone! wishing a good year ahead for us all...

here's my first post of 2025 – i worked on a textile commission last year for the newly renovated vip majlis at the american university of sharjah (aus). for those who don't know, i graduated from aus all the way back in 2006! it's quite an honour to be invited to contribute to my old campus with one of my own textile works!

during my research for this commission, i found an online article which mentions ancient artefacts found in mleiha, a small town in the emirate of sharjah. these artefacts were inscribed with pre-arabic letters, including the ancient musnad script. i incorporated musnad letters/symbols onto the textile panel which correspond to the arabic letters ش ر ق , spelling the word شرق  (east), a theory that the origin name for الشارقة (sharjah) is derived from. the word شرق also indicates the direction of the sunrise. these attributes correspond to ideas of language and enlightenment through education, which i thought connects nicely to aus as well.

'east' is an extension of my earlier textile series 'if speech is silver...' – researching dead scripts that were precursors to the arabic language, and reactivating them for today.

i haven't been able to do much textile work over the past year due to a lack of space and facilities. but i was really glad to have squeezed out at least one textile project for 2024. here's to making more textile works over the coming year...

ending my post with a shout out to ammar kalo for reaching out and commissioning me for the vip majlis. so happy to have worked on this. and i hope whoever visits the majlis enjoys my lil' textile...

twenty four, twenty five

season's greetings . 2024

and here we are, another year has comes to a close. what a blessing it is to have survived one more year on this planet. as always, both the good and bad were experienced. it was also a year of self reflection and tackling some of my own struggles in attempt to achieving personal growth. not sure if i succeeded, but a sense of acknowledgement of where i lack is a small win i guess. 

reflecting on this past year, here are a few thoughts on 2024: 

• after a year of being evicted from my studio, i've slowly moved into a new space i'm sharing with a couple of my trusted friends and art peers. more on that once it's all official, but i'm stoked to have a studio space again!
• i let go of my car of 20 years that i loved, and got myself a vehicle of the times! tears were shed, saying goodbye was hard, but it was the right thing to do. i made a little comic about it in case you missed it – see here.
• after deciding last year to work from the periphery of the local art circus away from the clowns in it, i felt like i was able to let go of some of my frustrations and find my voice again, figuring out the things that bring me joy about being an artist. and with that came the right kind of projects, clients, and collaborations. i had a busy year working on some of my favourite projects, both client-based and self-initiated – please check out previous posts. i still have a few more to post about so stay tuned...
• music played an even bigger role this year than usual – i attended a handful of live concerts both at home and abroad, and danced as much as i could with loved ones and strangers, sweating out life's many troubles. i've also returned to my love for dance music, it's impact reflected in a few projects i worked on this year. maybe i should start making playlists to share with you all! let's see if 2025 makes space for that...
• now to throw a lil' shade – everyone seems to be a dj or a podcast host these days! and almost everyone's a glorified artist, designer or curator!!! it's so insulting, especially when many have taken years to hone their craft. but as a friend recently told me "it's all just a hustle [...] and is also a new form of narcissism [...]". i completely agree. 
• i've been let down by many individuals this year who i considered my peers. it became obvious to me how assumptions were made about myself and my practise – as an illustrator, i'm not a real artist nor graphic designer. and as an artist, i'm not scholarly enough nor carry myself as some sort of intellect. i guess i don't have the same 'cultural currency' as some of my contemporaries. all because my aspirations aren't about gallery representation, falling into some power list, making works that take over entire courtyards, or forcibly insert myself within pretentious cultural circles and activities. 
• i struggled this year with a lack of self-worth. at the end of my thirties, i wish i was in a better place with decluttering my life, as well as in the health and fitness department. i think i garnered some self-confidence close to the end of the year, and i hope to carry it into 2025, being a bit more kinder to myself, and showing a little more self-love.
• through all of life's ups and downs, i'm blessed to have a family that's there in times of need. from my real family to friends that have become chosen family, i know i can count on a support system that shows up when needed.
• with the atrocities happening around the world, i have to remind myself that i'm blessed and privileged for what i have, and am thankful for it almost everyday. 
• a takeaway from 2024 – change is something inevitable. and living in a city like dubai, change is a constant! i've finally learnt to embrace change, and accept that it's not always a bad thing. re-sharing an earlier post where i elaborate on change here.

i think that's all for this last post of the year. season's greetings to everyone and may 2025 be a good year to us all. the image above is my end of year print i worked on and am pretty chuffed about! i made twenty two of these (wanted to do twenty four but ran out of paper). if anyone wants one, please reach out.

see y'all next year...

limbo

'limbo' cover . 2024

'limbo' page 1 . 2024

'limbo' page 2 . 2024

'limbo' page 3 . 2024

'limbo' page 4 . 2024

'limbo' page 5 . 2024

'limbo' page 6 . 2024

'limbo' page 7 . 2024

'limbo' page 8 . 2024

'limbo' . 2024

here's a short comic titled 'limbo', created by me and adapted by azim al ghussein.

originally created in 2005 as a junior in university, 'limbo' was a response to an assigned class reading in one of my courses. i don't remember much from that time, other than my introduction and fascination to studio ghibli films, specifically 'princess mononoke', as well as listening to kylie minogue's song 'limbo' (from her underrated 'impossible princess' album) on repeat! both heavily influenced me at the time while working on this story.

cut to almost 20 years later, clearing out my studio after being evicted, and finding my project tucked away in one of the many bags amongst the mess! looking at it after all these years, i was quite embarrassed by it! however, azim disagreed, and felt the urge to give a go at reinterpreting my story from long ago.

we launched 'limbo' at this year's focal point art book fair by the sharjah art foundation, at our 'great + everlasting' table. in pure azim fashion, he made 'limbo' so much better that the original with his added touch! i'm really proud of this collaboration. thank you azim for your greatness!

reach out if you'd like a copy of 'limbo'. and stay tuned for upcoming announcements once stocked in shops around town!

happy reading! and ending this post with images of the original comic from 2005. it's always interesting seeing works done in the past by younger versions of ourselves...

'limbo' page 1 . 2005

'limbo' page 2 . 2005

'limbo' page 3 . 2005

'limbo' page 4 . 2005

'limbo' page 5 . 2005

'limbo' page 6 . 2005

'limbo' page 7 . 2005

my first toyo

my first toyo (page 1) . 2024

my first toyo (page 2) . 2024

my first toyo (page 3) . 2024

my first toyo (page 4) . 2024

my first toyo (page 5) . 2024

my first toyo (page 6) . 2024

it's that time of year again – a newly published short comic in the sixth volume of 'corniche', the annual comics anthology by the sharjah art foundation. this year's story is inspired by saying goodbye and letting go of my twenty year old car. i loved my silver, two door toyota prado – a car that has been with me since i turned eighteen way back in 2003, and stayed through all the good and bad of the last two decades. just like a member of the family, it saw me grow into early adulthood, and never let me down. it was quite emotional letting go, finally putting it to rest earlier this year, after all the countless drives and memories. but it had to be done – maintaining the car over the last few years was getting more and more difficult!
'my first toyo' is a short comic commemorating the first car i ever owned, and the journey we went on together through the years. spoiler (not): it's not your average car in the comic, but a flying cat-shaped vehicle instead! mainly because i suck at drawing cars, but also because it never felt like just a car, but a best friend who was always there...
as always, a big thank you goes to the corniche team – thank you nasir nasrallah and mouza al hamrani, for having me published in every volume so far, and for the opportunity to share my stories...
make sure to grab a copy of 'corniche 6' (as well as past volumes), now available via the sharjah art foundation's shop.
ending my post with a gif of 'my first toyo' published in 'corniche 6', with beautiful cover artwork by nasir nasrallah. happy reading...
 

my first toyo published in corniche 6 . 2024