where does your food come from?

'where does your food come from? pressure cooker activity guide' . 2025

illustration of 'pressure cooker' curator azza aboualam . 2025

illustration portraits of 'pressure cooker' curator azza aboualam . 2025

illustration of the map of the uae . 2025

illustration of drip irrigation system . 2025

illustration of greenhouse kit-of-parts assemblages . 2025

illustration of an orto . 2025

illustration of a dining table . 2025

illustration of blueberries . 2025

illustration of kitchen utensils . 2025

here's another series of illustrations i worked on for this year's national pavilion uae's exhibition 'pressure cooker', at the 19th international architecture exhibition – la biennale di venezia, curated by azza aboualam (see previous post on illustrations for the exhibition here.)

i had the opportunity to work on the activity guide titled 'where does your food come from?'. the guide is meant to be used by young visitors and their parents as they explore and interact with the exhibition, responding to prompts relating to food, farming and client change.

besides the illustrations, i was also responsible for the overall layout of the guide and writing the texts and prompts (with help from the national pavilion uae team). i'm really happy with the end result of the guide, especially the illustrations – my favourites are the portraits of the curator, and the examples of the greenhouse models! i hope families and visitors young and old enjoy the activity guide as they walk through the exhibition.

thank you once again to the national pavilion uae and azza for the opportunity and trust to work on additional illustrations for 'Pressure Cooker'. i'm truly proud to have been a part of the team, and have my illustrations play a part in this project.

pressure cooker

chapter 0 opening illustration . 2025

chapter 1 opening illustration . 2025

chapter 2 opening illustration . 2025

chapter 3 opening illustration . 2025

chapter 4 opening illustration . 2025

chapter 5 opening illustration . 2025

'ras al khaimah field visit' . 2025 (map by nujud alhussain)

'liwa field visit' . 2025 (map by nujud alhussain)

'hatta field visit' . 2025 (map by nujud alhussain)

'masafi field visit' . 2025 (map by nujud alhussain)

'al ain field visit' . 2025 (map by nujud alhussain)

'al zubair field visit' . 2025 (map by nujud alhussain)

'arenco 26 villas in dubai' . 2025 (section perspective by azza aboualam and noor hamdan)

'wasit suburbs green edge in sharjah' . 2025 (section perspective by azza aboualam and noor hamdan)

'al angham park in abu dhabi' . 2025 (section perspective by azza aboualam and noor hamdan)

epilogue opening illustration . 2025

here are a series of illustrations i worked on for this year's national pavilion uae's exhibition 'pressure cooker', at the 19th international architecture exhibition – la biennale di venenzia in italy!

i was invited by the curator azza aboualam to be a part of the project team and contribute towards her research on architecture and food production. we had some awesome road trips exploring farms and greenhouses around the country, alongside project photographer ola allouz. it was great having the opportunity to drive around the emirates and explore the various landscapes, as well as encountering various types of farms. there were lots of laughs, sweats, snacks and inspiration!

the final illustrations you see above are the visual results responding to the many field trips, contributed essays and curatorial research. all the illustrations are included in the publication, as well as moments around the exhibition space in venice. if anyone reading this plans to make a quick stop to venice between now and november, please do stop by the national pavilion uae exhibition space at the biennale. it really is a great presentation. learn more about 'pressure cooker' here.

i can't begin to explain how proud i am of these illustrations. thank you azza and the national pavilion uae team for the opportunity – hope i did you proud! it was truly an honour to be a part of this project. to anyone reading this post, i hope you enjoy the illustrations as much as i did working on them.

ending this post with a few photos of the illustrations in print – in the exhibition publication and as oversized postcards!

illustrations in 'pressure cooker recipes: an architectural cookbook' . 2025

illustrations in 'pressure cooker recipes: an architectural cookbook' . 2025

illustrations in 'pressure cooker recipes: an architectural cookbook' . 2025

illustration postcards (oversized) . 2025 (maps by nujud alhussain)

(re) introductions

portrait . 2025

i've had this blog since 2010, and have been actively updating it ever since. i'm really proud of keeping it going for this long. but maybe it's also time to reintroduce myself on here, especially to any new followers who might've stumbled onto this page in recent years. here we go!

• hello! i'm khalid mezaina, an artist from the united arab emirates (i'm also half-egyptian), based in dubai.
• i'm an illustrator, and also make textile works when the opportunity arises.
• i'm an alum of the rhode island school of design, the american university of sharjah, and saint mary's catholic high school dubai!
• i've been a freelancer for over ten years. prior to that, i worked in art institutions like the sharjah art foundation and tashkeel as a graphic designer and projects coordinator.
• i've worked on some really cool projects through the years, and really proud of my portfolio so far. please have a look through the blog to see examples. it's great to be able to do what i love as a job. admittedly, it's probably the only thing i'm good at!
• i have a love/hate relationship with the industry i'm in.
• i have a love/(mostly) hate relationship with human beings!
• my biggest influences have been comic books and music videos. i also think i acquired a lot of my interests and tastes growing up around my three older sisters.
• books, coffee and music are probably the three things i can't live without.
• i have an extensive collection of t-shirts, mostly themed around music and pop queens!
• i'm the original kylieji – the kylie minogue fandom is very real!
• three all-time favourite tv shows: absolutely fabulous, buffy the vampire slayer and gargoyles.
• since 2020, i've been a lover of cats.
• just like everyone, i make mistakes and come with flaws and all. it's a work in progress, probably best resolved away from social media and my screen.
• london is always a good idea – it's my favourite city to visit.
• i'm happiest on the dance floor, under the disco ball, losing myself to some good music...

between the tides

between the tides young person's guide . 2025

 

between the tides young person's guide illustrations . 2025

i had the pleasure of working on another young person's guide for nyuad art gallery's latest exhibition 'between the tides: a gulf quinquennial', curated by maya allison and duygu demir. i had so much fun working on the last guide (see previous post here), i was so happy to be asked to work on another one!

just like last time, i was in charge of both illustrations and layouts for the guide. the end result is really fun and i hope all the young people visiting the show enjoy interacting with the guide as they go through the exhibition. it was fun drawing the curators and selected works from the exhibition, some made by my friends and art peers. i hope i did everyone justice!

thank you to the nyuad art gallery team for the opportunity to work together again. a big thank you goes to alaa edris, head of content and publications, who is also a dear friend, for reaching out and working together on this. always a pleasure...

'between the tides: a gulf quinquennial' is on until 20 april 2025, so if in abu dhabi, make sure to check it out. and pick up a copy of the youth guide!

the rubbish monster

'the rubbish monster' i . 2024

'the rubbish monster' ii . 2024

'the rubbish monster' iii . 2024

'young voices of arabia 2024' publication . 2025 

i had the opportunity to work with voices of future generations (vofg) once again (see previous project here) on their 2024 edition of 'young voices of arabia', an annual publication that invites young creative writers between the ages 8 – 12 to submit short stories with the opportunity to be published. and like every edition, each story is supported with illustrations by invited artists and illustrators.

the story i was tasked to illustrate this year was 'the rubbish monster' by twelve year old author meera hamdan alabdouli – a story with themes of community, sustainability and being environmentally conscious . i hope meera is happy with my interpretation of her story.

'young voices of arabia 2024' is available in english and arabic via the voices of future generations' website. i'm happy to be published in three consecutive editions so far. thank you to the vofg team for the opportunity.

ramadan playing cards

ramadan illustrations for google . 2025

 

illustration application for google's ramadan playing cards . 2025

belated ramadan kareem wishes to those observing. hope it's been a blessed month so far...

i've always wanted to work on illustrations for playing cards but never made the time for it. i have to thank google for finally making it happen! i had the opportunity to work with them once again (see previous project here) on a limited edition deck of playing cards gifted to guests at their ramadan suhoor event. the brief was pretty simple – create culturally appropriate illustrations to substitute the all too familiar graphics on standard playing cards . the timeline was quite tight, but i'm super happy with the end result.

to anyone reading this and also gifted these, i hope you enjoy playing with them! thank you google for the opportunity once again...