30.10.18

city sightseeing sharjah

city sightseeing sharjah poster . 2018

here's a poster i recently worked on for the sharjah investment and development authority (shurooq). shurooq commissioned a group of selected artists (including myself) to work on a series of posters that focus on popular and touristic spots around the city of sharjah. i was assigned citysightseeing sharjah, which is a bus tour that goes around the city's important and famous landmarks.
it was a bit of a challenge interpreting and illustrating the various stops the bus tour focuses on, but i'd like to think i captured its essence. from museums, sculptural landmarks, historical and cultural spaces – the uae's third largest city has it all. the final poster will be used for shurooq's company profile portfolio. whoever gets to see it, i hope they enjoy it...
even though i'm based in dubai, sharjah will always have a special place in my heart – i studied in university and had my first job there! i dedicate this poster to dubai's friendly neighbour, the city of sharjah!

28.10.18

focal point

focal point art book fair e-vite . 2018

here's a quick post about an art book fair organised by the amazing sharjah art foundation team. i'm truly honoured and excited to announce my participation in the first edition of the focal point art book fair, which is a 3-day event highlighting independent and mainstream publishers from the region and internationally. the focal point art book fair will include invited publishers selling their printed content, as well as curated tables that will have independent publications and print based material for sale. along with the book fair, a series of talks, screenings, workshops, a book launch, and more will be part of the public programming for the fair.
my print material will be available for sale at the curated table, along with other amazing independent publishers. if you haven't had a chance to get your hands on some of my existing publications, prints or zines, now's your chance! the publications that will be available at the fair are: never forget, fade away & illustrate issue one and twowe met on the dance floorbig city trailscapes make the man, and more...
i will also be facilitating a workshop titled 'diy illustrated sketchbooks' on the first day of the fair – thursday, 8 november, from 5–8pm. participants will be provided with empty sketchbooks which will be filled with observational line drawings of details and moments that capture their attention as they wander around the fair and the surrounding neighbourhood. the end result will be a completed sketchbook that participants get to keep. for more info on the workshop, and to register, head to the workshop page here.
the focal point art book fair will happen from 8-10 november, at the bait obaid al shamsi house in sharjah's art square. for more information on the fair programming, timings and venue details, head to the focal point art book fair web page here.
a big thank you goes out to wasan and the focal point team for reaching out and inviting me to be a part of the first edition of the fair. see you all at focal point...

22.10.18

capes make the man thesis book

capes make the man logo . 2018

capes make the man sticker designs . 2018

capes make the man thesis book spreads . 2018

capes make the man final thesis book . 2018

capes make the man thesis pack . 2018

i posted not too long ago about my textiles mfa thesis project which i worked on during my time at risd. titled capes make the man, the final outcome was a collection of 'capes' that represented the male archetypes i carry as a mature masculine. during the research process, i was heavily influenced by a book that my colour studio professor recommended (thanks bill!), titled 'king, warrior, magician, lover: rediscovering the archetypes of the mature masculine' by douglas gillette and robert moore. after reading it, i began asking myself how would i visually define the archetypes that i carry. i felt like capes would be a great garment to experiment with to explore those visual definitions. capes not only touched upon the notion of the male superhero that i found in all the comic books i'd read and collected as a young boy, but also connected to the traditional attire that men wear in the united arab emirates and the region. the visual representation of archetypes through garments also reminded me of concert experiences, when pop stars on stage have multiple costume changes to represent multiple personas or archetypes during the course of the show. i imagined if i ever were a pop star, what costumes would i wear to present my king, warrior, magician, lover, and dancer (i had to add dancer because people who know me know how important dancing is to me). i think i did a pretty good job with the end result, which you can see in my previous post.
one of the major components to completing my thesis was to work on a series of writings which would be compiled into a final book format. i really enjoyed working on my thesis book, and those that have read it mentioned how honest and open i was with regards to discussing my personal and private life. i didn't share too much, but i think i was comfortable enough to share the life experiences that have made me who i am so far. i spoke about my family, the loss of my father, the 'boss ladies' in my life who never stop inspiring me, fanboy-ing over my favourite pop star in the entire world – kylie minogue, drag culture, memories good and bad, my love for dancing, and tying it all up with a personal narrative of growing up in the emirates.
the end result was a thesis pack, which included my thesis book, a sticker set of illustrations symbolically representing each archetype, which were used as designs and motifs on the final capes, a postcard of the complete collection of capes on display at the thesis grad show, a mix cd of songs that i listened to while working in studio during my time at risd, and a party wristband commemorating my love for the dance floor, which can also be used as a bookmark!
i couldn't have worked on a successful thesis book if it wasn't for the guidance of my writing professor and mentor, emily. thanks emily for helping me make the thesis book just as important and special as the capes themselves. i didn't get a chance to thank my thesis advisors in my previous post. mary anne, anna and amy, thank you, thank you, thank you. your guidance over my final semester was what fuelled my drive to make a kickass project. a special thanks also goes out to my digital embroidery professor michael, who made sure i was in a good place every week with my project both in and out of class, and his friend gabriel in la, who helped conceive the best embroidery solutions outside of campus facilities on the tightest of deadlines. thank you all for taking pride in 'capes make the man' as much as i did.
if anyone is curious, or would like to get their hands on a copy of my thesis book, do reach out. i would love to share it.
i end this post with the dedication i included in my thesis book: to my family – thank you for moulding me into the man that stands before you. to my nephews – i can't wait to see you all grow up into the beautiful men you are meant to be.

sharjah textile hunters

from sharjah art foundation's tapestries workshop . 2016 (image courtesy of the sharjah art foundation)

from sharjah art foundation's tapestries workshop . 2016 (image courtesy of the sharjah art foundation)

from sharjah art foundation's tapestries workshop . 2016 (image courtesy of the sharjah art foundation)

from sharjah art foundation's tapestries workshop . 2016 (image courtesy of the sharjah art foundation)

as part of the sharjah art foundation's community outreach programme, i'll be facilitating a workshop titled 'sharjah textile hunters'. this is my second textiles themed workshop with the foundation – the first workshop was in 2016 and centred around the theme of tapestries (click here for more information).
for 'sharjah textile hunters', participants will begin with a quick tour of the current exhibition 'steps towards the impossible' by alaa younis, then head out to the nearby textile market to discover dominant textile trends and collect scraps from the scattered tailor shops around the neighbourhood. participants will then work in groups and discuss their thoughts and findings, and create their own pattern designs which will be printed onto plain textile surfaces.
i'm really excited about this workshop, and if you're reading this, i hope you are too. the workshop will happen on saturday, 3 november 2018, from 4-8pm, and is free and open to anyone who's interested. to sign up, fill out the registration form here. and for more information on the workshop, head to the sharjah textile hunters page.
looking forward to seeing all the textile hunters very soon...

20.10.18

delusions and errors 2.0

outside the delusions and errors exhibition, weltformat graphic design festival . 2018 (image courtesy of christine müller)

delusions and errors exhibition . 2018 (image courtesy of christine müller)

delusions and errors exhibition . 2018 (image courtesy of christine müller)

delusions and errors exhibition . 2018 (image courtesy of christine müller)

i had the pleasure of being a part of the second iteration of the delusions and errors exhibition, part of the 10th edition of the weltformat graphic design festival in lucerne, switzerland. the delusions and errors showcase was part of the festival's programming, which included a series of exhibits and talks focusing on graphic design. 
the festival unfortunately has come to a close (the dates were from the 28 sep - 6 oct), and i was unable to attend due to prearranged travel commitments. but based on people who were lucky to attend, the festival sounded really fun, and the delusions and errors showcase generated a lot of interest, especially from visitors who are unfamiliar with the graphic design scene in the middle east and north africa.
if you haven't seen my earlier post on the delusions and errors exhibition which happened in dubai last year, my contribution to the show was a 3 coloured screen printed poster titled 'are you local?'. i'm so glad that my poster had the opportunity to be showcased outside the middle east with many others, and shared with new faces and people. whoever attended the exhibit, i hope you enjoyed what we had to offer as fresh, original posters representing the region.
a huge thank you goes out to mobius design studio (click on the link to check out their recently updated website) for reaching out last year asking me to be a part of the show. also, a big thank you also goes to christine müller for screen printing my poster while i was away at risd. lastly, thanks to all the partners and collaborators that made this exhibition possible.