arab dreem for art4sight

arab dreem . 2013

art4sight invite . 2015

it's that time of year again where art is auctioned off for a good cause. the fifth edition of noor dubai's art4sight happens on tuesday, 28 april 2015 at the zabeel ladies club. for this year's edition, i have donated my illustration 'arab dreem' which i hope will successfully be auctioned off, and contribute to helping cure preventative blindness around the world.

arab dreem is one of my favorite illustrations, initially conceived for the publication never forget. it was also later exhibited in the past forward touring exhibition in the united states of america.

if you're a fan of my work, or a collector of the arts, i do hope you attend art4sight and help with your contributions. for a sneak peek of all the artworks included in the auction, have a look at the digital version of the auction catalogue. also included is a short description about arab dreem which i've shared below: 

"the illustration 'arab dreem' depicts some of the humorous shop signs found in the area called karama, in dubai. the illustration was one of the many results of a self initiated project depicting some of the forgotten areas around dubai. arab dreem speaks of the communities found in these forgotten areas, and the charm one finds when exploring these communities. from misspelt shop signs, to charming characters, one experiences a different side to dubai which is slowly getting lost."

the supreme council for motherhood & childhood

mother & child . 2015

here's a quick post of a quick illustration i worked on for a quick project!

i was approached by the supreme council for motherhood & childhood to create an illustration for collateral they wanted to distribute during a career fair. i came up with the illustration above which was inspired by paintings of the madonna & child. the illustration did make its way onto mugs which were given out to guests that visited their space at the fair.

i'm really glad i got to work on this short but sweet assignment. i do hope this project opens opportunities to work with the council again in the near future.

lastly, i dedicate this post to all the mothers out there. the first day of spring (march 21) marks mothers day in the arab world. so a belated mothers day to all. us children might not show it all the time, but we love you dearly on the inside always...

afrobeats postcards

azonto . 2015

kukere . 2015

skelewu . 2015

apart from launching an illustration zine (see previous post), another project i worked on during march's crazy art season was the rca secret dubai postcard exhibition. artists were asked to submit original postcard sized artworks which were showcased at this year's art dubai and were up for sale for aed 500 each. what's fun about this project is that no one know's the identity of the artist of the postcard purchased, until they buy it and their name is revealed on the back of the card. so the showcase is compiled of a variety of artists in different levels and stages in their careers.

on the last day of art dubai, the exhibition was opened to buyers to register and purchase their favorite postcards, and the artist names were announced. i was happy to find out that two of my three submitted postcards were sold. not sure if the third got sold in the end, but i do hope it finds a happy home wherever it is.

for the exhibition, i decided to theme my postcards on famous dance moves from one of my favorite music genres, afrobeats/dancehall – azonto, kukere & skelewu. the illustrations were carbon print drawings onto the plain postcards.

fade away & illustrate

fade away & illustrate launch invitation . 2015

after hosting a series of zine workshops over the last couple of years, i've been inspired to publish a self-initiated illustration zine titled 'fade away & illustrate'. it was a challenging process, but i'm glad to say that the zines are finally fresh off the press and ready to be shared to the world.

'fade away & illustrate' is an attempt at gathering some of the best illustrators around town and sharing their work to the masses. each issue, a group of illustrators are asked to respond to a theme, the first issue being 'introductions'. and what better way then to introduce these talented artists but through their awesome drawings.

there will be an official zine launch, hosted by the lovely organizers of the design house, during sikka art fair. make sure to come on thursday, 19 march 2015 to house no. 28 at al fahidi historical neighbourhood, from 7.30 pm onwards to get your copy of the zine and meet some of the awesome illustrators included in the zine. zines will be on sale at the launch, and during the duration of the fair (14-24 march) for aed 30.

a few thanks are in order – firstly, to all the contributors; issue one wouldn't have been possible without you. also, a big thanks goes to kamal and the magazine shop, for generously hosting me in their space to offer workshops, and their support towards the zine. lastly, a big thank you to the design house, for taking me back this year as a minor contributor, and hosting the launch. special thanks goes to tulip; for being my eyes when i carelessly don't pay attention to minor details.

look forward to seeing you all at the launch.

ps – the title 'fade away & illustrate' is inspired by blondie (one of my favorite bands in existence) and their song 'fade away & radiate'. have a listen when you have the chance...

eve at the post oriental odyssey

'postlude volume 1: the post oriental odyssey' evite . 2015 

eve at 'postlude volume 1: the post oriental odyssey' exhibition . 2015

i am participating in a current exhibition at the mine, titled 'postlude volume 1: the post oriental odyssey'. curated by mo reda, the exhibition is a collection of 16 artists from the gcc exploring themes of cultural identity in contemporary middle eastern art. i am showcasing one of my previous works eve for the exhibition.

'postlude volume 1: the post oriental odyssey' runs until 8 march 2015 so make sure to check out the show to see a great collection of contemporary art from the region. i'm really glad to be a part of the show so thank you mo and the mine for the opportunity.

once again - never forget walkabout at creekside

'never forget' walkabout invite . 2015

back by popular demand, i will be leading another walkabout to promote 'never forget: an illustrated guide to dubai's best kept secrets'. the walkabout will happen on saturday 31 january, from 9am - 12pm. 

the walkabout begins at creekside, where we will then head to some of the areas mentioned in the book. make sure to bring your sketchbooks, cameras and a pair of good walking shoes!

there is a fee of aed 100 to participate in the walkabout. so make sure to register your spot by emailing tashkeel@tashkeel.org.

participants will receive a limited edition tote bag, which includes a copy of the book, and a colour pencil set. for more info, make sure to check out the invite above, and also the walkabout page on tashkeel's revamped website.

i end this post with some images below, which includes interesting finds from the last walkabout.

 images from previous 'never forget' walkabout . 2014

meet pepper

pepper . 2015

pepper 001 . 2014

pepper 002 . 2014

pepper 003 . 2014

a couple of years ago, i was approached by a positive, optimistic, female, emirati entrepreneur who was introduced to my work and really liked what she saw, leading to a collaboration i am happy to have worked on.

asma, the proud owner of the hundred wellness center is extremely passionate about pilates and a healthy lifestyle. she opened her humble pilates studio, which has gained recognition and grown over the years, becoming one of the leading health and fitness centers in the city. she is also a true supporter of the arts and the creative world. if one pays a visit to the beautiful center, you will notice some of asma's acquired artworks hung around the building, combining both her interests in one space.

the collaboration began with the intention of creating a pilates-themed illustration to adorn the center's walls. the initial brief was pretty free, so i came up with some introductory sketches which were discussed and led to variations of the illustration.

the illustration evolved over the course of the project, becoming more refined, less of a cliché, and focused on one particular pilates move - the rolling ball. the final result was not one, but three illustrations to visually show the move in it's different positions. after the illustrations were complete, asma loved the character and decided to name her pepper!

it was a really fun project to have worked on and truly humbled to have worked with asma on this. thank you for the opportunity. i hope pepper becomes somebody iconic at the center and loved by all...

make sure to head down to the hundred wellness center if interested in pilates and a healthy approach to life. and make sure to say hit to pepper!

i leave you with a couple of illustrations from the initial phase of the project. it shows how far the illustrations have come from the first drawings. i do love the initial ideas, but didn't work for this project i guess. you do however, definitely see elements extracted from both sketches which fed into the development of pepper.

phase 1 of pepper . 2013