cafeterias of the uae

al shabab cafeteria . 2016

eat & drink restaurant . 2016

fast meal restaurant . 2016

pearl star restaurant & cafeteria . 2016

shaikha cafeteria . 2016

tasty food restaurant . 2016

i've worked on a new series of illustrations titled 'cafeterias of the uae' which was a recent commission for the abu dhabi music & arts foundation (admaf)'s current exhibition 'portrait of a nation' - bringing together a selection of uae's practicing artists and presenting their reflections and perspectives on their homeland. below is the statement on my approach to the commission:

"the uae has a rich history of ‘shawarma’ shops and cafeterias all across the country, catering to not just specific communities in the uae, but the entire nation as a whole. emiratis, expats and everyone in between flock to these cafeterias daily for an affordable sandwich, a humorously titled juice, or a plastic cup of sugared, steaming hot chai! these cafeterias are iconic structures in the uae's culture and urban landscape. not only are they places of social encounters, but places of deep context in understanding food culture of the uae. through illustration, i would like to archive these cafeterias as important, iconic institutions and it’s importance to their communities. in the uae, major cities like dubai and abu dhabi are growing at an exceptionally fast pace, changing the landscape of a city tremendously, with things of the past unfortunately getting lost. only time will tell if these cafeterias will survive through these current changes. i hope these illustrations would act as a form of documentation and nostalgia for anyone that has encountered these cafeterias while growing up in the uae."

'portrait of a nation' is currently open for viewing and is located at the emirates palace. if in abu dhabi, please do make your way to the show. for more information on the exhibition and timings, head to the link here.

this is definitely not the end of this series and only just the beginning. i would like to document more cafeterias around the uae and create a publication about it so stay tuned folks. thank you admaf for the opportunity, your hard work, and getting me started on this series. i end this post with the illustrations as displayed in the exhibition, as well as an image of khalil abdul wahid's sweet artwork based on my process for this project from his series 'artist tools'.

'cafeterias of the uae' at portrait of a nation . 2016

'artist tools (khalid mezaina)' by khalil abdul wahid . 2016

beyoncé & other super heroines

'fade away & illustrate 002: beyoncé & other super heroines' front cover by khalid mezaina . 2016

janet jackson by khalid mezaina . 2016

kesha by azim al ghussein . 2016

kylie minogue by khalid mezaina . 2016

lady gaga by azim al ghussein . 2016

madonna by khalid mezaina . 2016

nicki minaj by azim al ghussein . 2016

'fade away & illustrate 002: beyoncé & other super heroines' back cover by azim al ghussein . 2016

i'd like to start off this post by thanking everyone that came by the great+everlasting booth at the middle east film & comic con (mefcc) over the weekend. it was great meeting you all and thank you so much for the support.

i wanted to share the second issue of fade away & illustrate, which was done in collaboration with my best mate and talented artist azim al ghussein. for issue 002, the theme was 'beyoncé & other super heroines', where azim and i illustrated our favorite female pop artists as super heroines. the theme was relevant to mefcc, and was launched over the con weekend. each of us drew 10 pop stars, as well as this issue's cover star, beyoncé. even though our illustration styles are quite different, we compliment each other very well in this issue.

above is a teaser of some of the illustrations you'll find in the zine. if you'd like to own a copy (trust me, you want one for yourself and your friends), send me an email and the issue is yours. 'fade away & illustrate 002: beyoncé & other super heroines' is 14. 8 x 21 cm (a5), 28 pages, priced at aed 30.

a big thank you goes to azim for collaborating on the issue, as well as partnering for great+everlasting at mefcc. looking forward to more collaborations. stay tuned folks...

great + everlasting

great + everlasting at middle east film & comic con . 2016

i am pleased to announce that i will be participating in this year's middle east film and comic con (mefcc). my super talented friend azim al ghussein and i will be sharing a booth selling print and illustrated material. we've titled our booth 'great + everlasting', which is a simple translation of our names from arabic.

'great + everlasting' will be at mefcc from the 7th - 9th april 2016, booth number sc166. make sure to stop by and say hello, and buy some really cool original fancies! expect comics, zines and more.

for more information on mefcc, make sure to check out their website. see you soon...

art week 2016

emirati girl jumping over ghaf tree . 2016

emirati girl standing under ghaf tree . 2016

i just want to start by saying i am so glad art week is over! as a visitor for the first time, not working behind the scenes as an exhibitor, it was great seeing all the art events happening around march, but just as stressful as being involved in the process. also this year, i unfortunately fell really sick during art week, which definitely took its toll.

anyways, besides taking in all the good and bad art, i had the opportunity in participating in a few activities and events during art week. the first being a panel talk at art dubai for the 'al haraka baraka: in movement there is blessing' exhibition, speaking about my work in the show alongside 3 other amazing exhibiting artists.

another contribution were 2 postcards for the rca secret dubai postcard exhibition. the 2 illustrations above were my contribution to this year's edition, very different to my contribution last year (see here). i'm not sure if these got sold, but i hope they did and found a happy home.

my final contribution to this year's march madness was an a3 poster for children to color-in for the sheikha manal little artist's program at art dubai. unfortunately, this poster was part of a bigger publication that didn't see the light. but i hope the future sees the publication come to life, so stay tuned. i end this post with the illustration of a 'big city' skyline.

big city skyline poster . 2016

al hefaiyah mountain conservation centre – part one

from puppet making workshops . 2015

from pattern making workshops . 2015

from collage making workshops . 2015

result from pattern making workshops . 2015

result from collage making workshops . 2015

result from puppet making workshop . 2015

result from stamp making workshops . 2015

final artworks exhibited at al hefaiyah mountain conservation centre . 2016

final artworks exhibited at al hefaiyah mountain conservation centre . 2016

hides (azim al ghussein & khalid mezaina) . 2015

defends (khalid mezaina & azim al ghussein) . 2015

joints (azim al ghussein & khalid mezaina) . 2015

eats (khalid mezaina & azim al ghussein) . 2015

just after summer 2015, i was invited to facilitate a series of children's workshops in the eastern region of the uae, specifically kalba and khor fakkan. i worked on these workshops alongside my dear friend, and insanely talented, azim al ghussein. the aim of these workshops were to create final artworks with works done by the children, which will be permanently exhibited at the al hefaiyah mountain conservation centre in kalba.

azim and i worked with children from youth centers in kalba and khor fakkan, working with 4 youth centers in total, offering 2 workshop sessions in each. the focus of these workshops were to educate the students about the wildlife found in the emirates through art. looking past the obvious camels and falcons, the workshops aimed at educating students about the various animals that exist, and their behaviors.

for the four workshops, the different art techniques we focused on were puppet making, collage, stamp and pattern making. students were thought the basics of these techniques and were then asked to create artworks. in the end, all the student artworks were collected and digitized to later create the final artworks you see above.

the final artworks, along with the technique used, reflects a specific behavioral pattern of the animals. so patterns reflected the various patterns and skins on different animals, collage focused on the defense mechanisms of various animals, puppet making reflected the anatomies of the animals, and stamps focused on the hierarchy of the food chain in the animal world.

the final artworks are currently exhibited at the al hefaiyah mountain conservation centre, which recently opened earlier this month. make sure to head to the centre. it's an amazing space and truly educational. i am extremely proud to be a part of such an important institution in the uae. definitely worth the long drive.

thank you to the al hefaiyah center for the opportunity. also thank you michel and sophy for bringing me on board this project and for your patience throughout this entire process. also, thank you to the kids at the youth centers – hope we did you proud and sparked the inner artists in you. lastly, a big thank you to azim, for being my partner in crime on this project. i wouldn't have been able to have done it without you.

stay tuned for part two of my post on the al hefaiyah centre, where i'll be sharing another project i had the opportunity of working on for the centre.

in movement there is blessing

'al haraka baraka: in movement there is blessing' evite . 2016

'emirian' process sketches . 2016

'to drink' textile design . 2016

'to rest' textile design . 2016

'to wander' textile design . 2016

emirian . 2016

emirian . 2016

emirian . 2016

i am participating in a new exhibition at the maraya art centre titled 'al haraka baraka: in movement there is blessing', a group show of newly commissioned works for the private collection of his highness sheikh zayed bin sultan bin khalifa al nahyan. commissioned by uae unlimited arab exploration, the theme of the exhibition explores the rich mix of cultures that have long existed in the uae and the influence of these cultural migrations. for the exhibition, i created a new artwork titled 'emirian', which simply means an emirati, or a person from the uae. i remember growing up learning the term emirian. but over the years, its been replaced with emirati. the final artwork shown above is made of an acquired trolley from the souk, along with digitally printed stuffed textiles, and wallpaper. its the first time i've exhibited an installation piece, still involving my main mediums of interest - illustration and textiles. below is the artist statement that explains the theme of the project.

"i believe that culture is what you construct for yourself and is unique to everyone else's definition and experience. i've always felt disconnected with traditions from my heritage, resulting in moulding a culture of my own due to the country's constant change and foreign influences. through my current research on personal observations and interactions with older communities, i've begun to reconnect with certain areas around dubai. these were once an integral part of the development of the uae and were an important part of my life growing up. the disconnection was due to the rapid change the city underwent in the last 15 years. today as a practicing artist, this reconnection is both nostalgic and an experience completely different to what i remember in my youth. interactions have become more personal. in turn, exploring these areas as an adult is inspiring. i wander these areas, in search of new yet familiar experiences, moving forward into the future with what was once taken for granted in the past. just like the iconic trolley handlers swarm these areas, i compare myself to these individuals who move items, experiences and culture from place to place. my trolley is stacked with bundled textiles that reflect and communicate the contents of my personal definition of culture. the contents are concealed, but the patterns adorning the wrapped textiles giving meaning to what is underneath. my culture is a collection of influences on music, food, attire, dance and rituals from various geographic sources. i share my culture with an audience that continues to influence me, in hopes of impacting others wanting to influence each other the same way."

a few thank yous to all that helped with making this artwork come to life – first off, thank you to the maraya art centre and uae unlimited arab exploration teams for including me in this exhibition and your support with bringing this project to life and exhibiting it in the best possible way. to my dear friend abdul who i've known for almost 2 decades, thank you for helping with acquiring a trolley. the artwork wouldn't have existed if it wasn't for your important contribution. thank you mermaid digital printing l.l.c for printing my textiles beautifully. lastly, to my friends who contributed with their honest feedback and suggestions. love you all.

'al haraka baraka: in movement there is blessing' runs until 30 april 2016. please do make sure to check it out. for more information on the exhibition, please check the link here.

recycle your blues

recycle your blues invite . 2016

work in progress . 2016

work in progress . 2016

a krossbreed koat . 2016

a krossbreed koat . 2016

a krossbreed koat at the recycle your blues event . 2016

i recently worked on a project for gap middle east's 'recycle your blues' campaign. i was invited by gap to work with piles of used denim jeans that had been donated for recycling, and create an art piece with it. this was definitely a new challenge for me as i've never worked with denim before, and was excited to see what i'd come up with.
the end result was a sleeveless coat made of patched denim pieces, with a golden overlayed screen printed pattern. the inspiration behind the piece was both from japanese boro kimonos and the adornment of traditional fabrics from the UAE. the end result is the 'krossbreed koat' you see above.
the final piece was exhibited at the new gap store in the dubai mall, raising awareness on the possibilities of what can be done with recycled denim. in addition, the art piece will also be donated to the al noor training centre for children with special needs where it will be auctioned to raise funds for the centre. i am truly humbled to be able to contribute to such a cause through my art. i wasn't the only artist in this campaign. there were two other artists from the uae - dina saadi and noush like sploosh, as well as three artists from kuwait - the doghouse collective, mohammed al mohanna and yousef saleh (aka joegraffi). it was a real pleasure being a part of this project together and seeing how everyone responded to the denim in their unique artistic way.
i end this post with a few thank you's – thank you gap and for allowing me to be a part of the 'recycle your blues' campaign, and to be able to support the al noor centre through such a contribution. thank you jennifer for all the help and support. thank you to the wonderful tailors i worked with. thank you noush for helping me out, and to marwan for modeling the final piece. to all the artists, it was a real pleasure. i leave you with a lovely photo of all the contributing artists at the 'recycle your blues' event.

the recycle your blues artists . 2016 (image courtesy of gap)