thejamjar 20

thejamjar 20 . 2025

thejamjar 20 . 2025

thejamjar 20 . 2025

thejamjar 20 . 2025

i'm happy to finally share this special window illustration i worked on for thejamjar who is celebrating it's twentieth anniversary this year. 

thejamjar is one of the og community art spaces in the city. i have many fond memories of visiting thejamjar since its early beginnings till today. as a young artist twenty years ago, thejamjar was a great space to be introduced to the local art scene/community, and have attended many of their exhibitions, community initiatives and programming. it's ethos haven't changed – it is still a place for people to commune and share a love for the arts.

the window illustration represents a timeline of the jamjar's story so far – from it's earlier locations around the city, to the various collaborations and projects produced through the years. there's also a little nod to projects I've personally worked on with thejamjar almost ten years ago (see here).

i have to thank the woman behind thejamjar, hetal pawani, for the opportunity and trust to tell thejamjar's story, and for staying in touch through the years when the art world today makes me and many feel excluded... 

the window illustration is on display until the first quarter of 2026. so if anyone's planning on visiting alserkal avenue, please pass by thejamjar to appreciate the work in person.

happy birthday thejamjar – here's to twenty more... ending this post with a photo of me standing proudly in front of the window illustration. i hope you love it as much as i do.

thejamjar 20 . 2025 (photo courtesy of thejamjar)

saloua raouda choucair

saloua raouda choucair . 2025

 

i'm really happy to share a selection of illustrations i worked on a few years ago. it was hard keeping it a secret for so long. and now that the project is officially out in the world, i'm excited to finally share it!

i was invited by myrna ayad to work on illustrations for her recently launched children's book series titled noor's heroes, sharing stories of inspirational people from the arab world. one of the books from the series is about the groundbreaking lebanese artist saloua raouda choucair which i had the honour of illustrating!

i was familiar with saloua's work prior to this project. getting to know more about her story, and reading about the challenges she faced and believing in her own work when no one else did was really inspiring. saloua raouda choucair is a great example of an artist who through consistency and making, was rewarded the recognition she deserved. interpreting saloua's story through illustrations was a real pleasure.

this is the first time i've worked on a complete children's book (i've mostly worked on illustrations for short stories). holding a copy for the first time and seeing my illustrations across the pages was quite joyful. thank you myrna for the opportunity, and for showing children in the region that we have inspiring stories to tell without looking very far. i hope i did you and saloua proud!

the first four books from noor's heroes, including saloua raouda choucair, are officially out in the world. published by kaph books under their children's book line 'kaph kids', all books are available in english and arabic. make sure to grab copies from trusted bookstores and online.

ending this post with one of my very early proposal sketches of saloua through the years. there's something about these i really enjoy...

on krutches...

krutches . 2025

here's a not so fun post with a pretty fun pattern design! an altercation earlier this month has led to an unfortunate injury; a partial acl tear to one of my knees. this is the first time i've experienced such an injury, and to be honest, it has shaken me a bit. i'm truly grateful for all the support (physical and emotional) from loved ones, and positive signs of recovery. but i can't help getting lost in thoughts about what-ifs. 

not being as mobile as i can be has put me down. but i'll be fine in good time. speaking to people who've experienced similar injuries all say so (apparently, acl tears are quite common!). patience, care, and recovery will do me good over the coming months. which means my modes of activity need to be temporarily altered. i'm hanging my dancing shoes for now, but not forever... 

if you're reading this, send your well wishes, prayers and positive vibes my way. i'll need it all during my path to recovery. and now that summer is officially over, stay tuned for some blog updates of upcoming projects i'm excited to share...

summertime slump

portrait . 2025

a lot has happened during the last (very hot) couple of months. and i have fallen into a severe summertime slump, hence the lack of new blog posts. on a positive note, i got to travel and attend a couple of concerts by my favourite pop queens, and danced as much as i could when the opportunity arose. i've also been hiding indoors avoiding the summer heat, and mourning the sudden passing of a dear high school friend which i've still not fully processed. 

with that said, i'm slowly trying to get out of this summertime slump, starting by sharing a recent illustration i worked on. it's a portrait to accompany my upcoming short comic for the sharjah art foundation's annual comics anthology 'corniche', which will be out in december, so stay tuned for future posts on that. i like how the drawing turned out – a slightly older cartoon version of lil' ol' me!

rove rak city

here are a series of illustrations i worked on for the newest rove hotels property which opened in ras al khaimah (rak) – rove al marjan island. commissioned by capsule arts, these illustrations take inspiration from rak city's cultural heritage, natural landscapes and wildlife, as well as the various tourist attractions and activities. the final illustrations are framed and installed along the corridors of the hotel's guest room floors. each floor has a variation of the illustrations in different compositions and colour ways which you can see above.

i'm really happy with the end result of this collection. if anyone's planning on staying at rove al margin island, please do share photos, and also make sure to have a good time!

ending this short post with a few photographs of the artworks installed at the hotel (photographs by thamer guissi).

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 climate 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.