you spin my dervish round

you spin my dervish round . 2016

dervish sketches (lyrical foreground) . 2016

untitled abstract (instrumental background) . 2016

i wasn't going to create a post about this little project i worked on for my picturing sound course (illustrating for music) at risd. but with the recent passing of dead or alive's frontman pete burns, i felt i should.

one of the assignments in the class was to create an illustration inspired by two musical pieces – one instrumental and one lyrical. the instrumental component would be the abstract background while the lyrical component would be the representational foreground. the two songs selected were 'ocean drive' by miami nights 1984 as the instrumental component, and 'you spin me round (like a record)' by dead or alive for the lyrical component.
the end result is a fun gif of a whirling dervish spinning within a glitchy, 80s themed background. i really enjoyed this experimental approach to representing music. just to show you how the gif works with music, here's a link with audio on my instagram page.
i dedicate this post to pete burns. 'you spin me round (like a record)' is one of my favorite songs of all time. it makes me want to get up and dance and sing really loudly every time i hear it. they definitely don't make music like this anymore. thank you for giving this world one amazing track. its definitely left its mark in the history of pop music. rest in peace pete.

man, myth, maiden

man . 2016

myth . 2016

maiden . 2016

at 'east – east' exhibition . 2016 (photo courtesy of sophie arni)

at 'east – east' exhibition . 2016 (photo courtesy of sophie arni)

at 'east – east' exhibition . 2016 (photo courtesy of sophie arni)

at 'east – east' exhibition . 2016 (photo courtesy of sophie arni)

last week marked the exhibition opening of 'east – east: uae meets japan' (see event information in previous post here). i am one of four participating artists, invited to create artworks based on cultural similarities between emirati and japanese cultures.
i created three fun illustrations inspired by japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints from the edo period. heavily influenced by the aesthetic of ukiyo-e prints, 'man', 'myth' and 'maiden' are three figures from emirati culture – the powerful male, the mythical figure from our oral heritage and traditional past, and the conservative, elegant female. the final illustrations are a fun, theatrical tribute to a culture that i love and has influenced my work many times.
if you're in abu dhabi or the uae, please do make sure to check out the exhibition, which runs until 31 october 2016. for more information check out these links via nyu abu dhabi: here and here.
lastly, i'd like to thank the exhibition curator sophie arni, for reaching out earlier this year and inviting me to participate in her show. i wish you all the best and hope 'east – east: uae meets japan' flourishes. also, a special thank you to my friend layan for being my liaison with sophie back home while i'm miles away at risd.

bedknob & broomstick

bedknob & broomstick . 2016

amor magazine issue #26  . 2016 (photo courtesy of fn designs)

inside spread from amor magazine issue #26 . 2016 (photo courtesy of fn designs)

i'm happy to announce my inclusion in amor (a magazine of random)'s latest issue. illustrators were invited to submit cover redesigns of their favorite book. i chose a book that i loved to read while growing up, and still do on occasion –'bedknob & broomstick' by mary norton. 

the final design is a simple pattern of the magical bed and broom the characters used in the story, traveling in time and around the world. if you ever manage to get a hold of bedknob & broomstick, do read it as it's purely magical. you can also watch the movie, but like always, the book is way better!

make sure to get your copy of amor by heading to fn designs located in alserkal avenue. i'm happy to be a part of this issue, alongside some great illustrators. 

lastly, while on the topic of amor, i would also like to share a recent interview in their 'artist of the month' series. check out the interview here.

east – east: an exhibition

east – east: an exhibition evite . 2016

i've finally managed to write a new blog post from my new home for the next couple of years - providence, rhode island. it's been a month and still adjusting to a new lifestyle and being a student again (details in previous post here). 

i will be sharing my experiences and projects at risd in future posts. but for now, i'd like to share an e-vite for an upcoming exhibition back home in the uae, specifically in abu dhabi. i will be participating in 'east – east: an exhibition' curated by nyu abu dhabi student sophie arni, founder of global art daily. below are extracts from the press release with details on the exhibition:

"east – east: an exhibition will explore the ways young voices of the emirati art scene choose to regard cross-cultural contact with the arts of japan. the exhibition will aim to draw parallels between japanese and emirati culture as both traditional societies move rapidly forward into our postmodern age and strive to keep a balance between heritage and futurism. east – east also intends to challenge and expand the idea of what 'global art' means to artists, curators, and viewers alike in our increasingly globalized world. 

bridging the uae to japan seems like a bold move but as curator sophie mayuko arni explains: 'i wanted to break the overused and overheard ‘east-west’ terminology by turning it on its head. why always look to the west, when we can look eastwards? I hope for east – east to be a great experiment for a new model of global contemporary art making and exhibition practices.

works on show will explore the similarity in both countries’ fine balance between rooted tradition and expanding modernity. themes as nōh and bedouin mythology, spirituality and repetition, weaving and knotting, zen buddhism and the desert’s connection to materiality, traditional and ceremonial dress, will be contrasted to overwhelming consumption typified by plastic materials in such chain stores as daiso. the exhibition as such will combine the emirati artist's established styles with japanese stylistic elements in a contemporary socially-aware context. four years ahead of dubai and tokyo hosting the expo and olympics respectively, the occasion seems fitting to celebrate these two cultures together to further solidify their place on the global art map.”

east – east opens at 6pm, on tuesday, 18 october 2016, at the nyu abu dhabi art center project space, featuring the works of 4 artists including al anood al obaidly, amna al maamari, ahmed al anzi, and myself. if you're in town, please do make sure to pass by and check out the exhibition, which runs until 31 october 2016. i will be exhibiting a series of new illustrations, one of them being used in the e-vite you see above. stay tuned for my next post, where i will feature the final illustrations from the show.

off to risd...

risd . 2016

i'm going to grad school y'all! after 10 years, i've finally taken the brave step of going back to school to pursue a masters degree. i'm happy to announce that i will be heading to the rhode island school of design this september, to begin an mfa in textiles. 

i'm super excited as well as extremely nervous of what's to come. this is definitely outside my comfort zone; living abroad and becoming a full-time student once again. but it feels like the right time to get back to education and learn new skills to develop and grow as an artist and designer.  

even though i'll be based in rhode island for the next couple of years, i'll frequently be back in dubai during the long breaks to catch up with family and loved ones. also, i'll still be updating my blog as much as possible, with posts focusing on projects and explorations in school.

i hope you'll continue this journey with me and i look forward to sharing with you the next chapter of my krossbreed life! stay tuned folks...

happy anniversary to the derderians

beth+rob . 2016

here's a short post about a recent commission for my friends rob & beth derderian. i was asked by rob to create an illustration for his wife beth for their second anniversary. the illustration highlights their last year or so traveling the world and living in dubai. i hope beth+rob enjoy this personal illustration as much as i did making it.

i wish the derderians many amazing anniversaries together and hope they find new places around the world to explore and create memories.

do not postpone today's work for tomorrow

do not postpone today's work for tomorrow . 2016

i'm happy to share with you an illustration i worked on for a recent private commission. i was asked to create an artwork with the arabic phrase "لا تؤجل عمل اليوم إلى الغد", which translates to 'do not postpone today's work for tomorrow'.

the client wanted the phrase worked into my style of illustration. the end result is an illustration of a trolley handler (an iconic visual you find in souks and older parts of dubai) moving packages with the phrase written on them. the illustration was hand drawn, digitally coloured, and presented as a final digital print.

i hope the client enjoys the artwork. and to whoever's reading this, i hope you enjoy it too.