speak out...

silence kills . 2020

i worked on the illustration above for the lebanese offices of medecins sans frontieres for their #inktober2020 instagram campaign. i've never participated in any inktober activities in the past, but i made the exception on this occasion as it was for a good cause and spreading an important message.

each invited illustrator was assigned a topic to illustrate. i was assigned 'speaking out', which is one of msf's important core beliefs as an independent medical, humanitarian organisation. as msf provides medical aid and support for people in various countries in crisis, they are also vocal about their stance when disagreeing with certain views or politics when helping in a particular country. msf observe neutrality and impartiality in the name of universal humanitarian and medical aid, but neutrality is not synonymous with silence. according to dr. james orbinski, former president of msf, "we are not sure that words can save lives, but we know that silence can certainly kill".

we're seeing examples of people stepping out to voice the wrongs that are happening everywhere. it's important to speak up than stay silent, especially in these times. my illustration is inspired by these acts of speaking out, and shows how one might feel when they're not able to speak the truth. the arabic on the cage loosely translates to 'silence kills'...

thank you msf lebanon for reaching out, and i hope you're happy with the illustration. to know more about msf's approach to speaking out, head to the link here. and check out their instagram page to see the other illustrations in their campaign. i end this post with a process gif to show you where the illustration started and how it evolved into the final you see above.

hoof

hoof . 2019

late last year, i worked on a short comic that was meant to be published in an upcoming comics anthology for release some time this year. unfortunately, because of the covid situation, the publication is on hold until further notice. until then, i wanted to share with you the mini comic i worked on titled 'hoof'!

'hoof' is based off a gazelle like creature that's been in the back of my mind for some time. hoof was conceived during a comic book making workshop i was part of years ago, where i created a more child-friendly version of the character (see 'hoof & fin'). 'hoof' is this mythical creature inspired from folktales from the uae. the realm of emirati folktales is fairly new to me, and have only recently been researching it because of access to stories translated to english (in case you've forgotten, my arabic is quite bad!). there are countless stories of creatures luring in the dark, to scare children and keep them away from wandering off into the desert or away from their homes. this also goes back to the tradition of believing in spirits and djinns which is quite common.

i wanted to create a short story inspired from these local traditions of folktales and storytelling, as well as the action packed superhero comics i grew up reading. 'hoof' in short, is about not believing everything you hear. sometimes, what you're told to fear or believe is bad, might not be as bad as you think. 

i hope to develop the world of 'hoof', and create an epic comic about his adventures, where he comes from, and the colourful characters he meets along the way. i just hope i get to do it someday. until then, i hope you enjoy this short story.

off to the cultural foundation...

the cultural foundation i . 2015 (for 'emirati expressions:conventions of arts')

hello october! i am happy to announce that i'm off to abu dhabi for the next three months for an artist residency at the cultural foundation. i was supposed to start my residency earlier in the year, but between working on a few projects, which later got canceled because of the pandemic, and then the immediate lockdown, i was able to push my residency for the last three months of 2020. let's hope things don't get worse and not lead to another lockdown. 

the reason i applied to be a part of the residency was because i wanted to concentrate on making work without having to follow any briefs or exhibition themes. i've prioritised a lot of client based projects of late for the obvious reason of being financially self-sufficient. because of this, i haven't been able to focus on a studio practise that's explorative or just making work for myself. i'm hoping the residency allows for me to be playful and explore ideas and projects i have yet to come up with. i also think the residency will be a great opportunity to really have some time to myself, away from distractions of home, friends, social media and the depressing news of the world. 

i plan to share my artist residency experience, as well any projects that come my way. the next three months should be exciting, so stay tuned.

blue's rules

'blue's rules' covid-19 safety illustrations for warehouse 421 . 2020

we're in september and the world still hasn't been rid of coronavirus! numbers seem to be increasing locally, and the news around the world isn't getting better. it seems like the world has gone mad, and it's all too much to cope with at times. but i'd like to think that our earth is going through some changes, and things need to get worse for it to get better.

projects like these, however, make coping with bad news slightly easier. with warehouse 421 finally reopening after it's abrupt closure in march due to the covid-19 pandemic, i was commissioned by the team to work on a series of covid-19 safety precaution illustrations for the space, informing guests on how to behave when occupying the premises. the team wanted something fun and cartoony, similar to my mini comic 'garden gathering'. we came up with the idea of having a mascot showing me around the warehouse, explaining the rules that need to be followed. the mascot is none other than blue – warehouse 421 manager faisal's pet dog! as an active occupant of the warehouse, it made sense to have blue as my illustrated dog guide, walking me through the rules as we navigate ourselves around the warehouse.

i really like how these illustrations turned out, and i can't wait to see their application around warehouse 421 in person. if you're visiting warehouse 421, make sure to check them out in person. and make be sure to follow blue's rules! thank you warehouse 421 for the opportunity.

covid-19 artist relief print sale round 2

'gulf photo plus covid-19 artist relief print sale round 2' announcement . 2020 (image courtesy of gpp)

'eviction' for 'gulf photo plus covid-19 artist relief print sale round 2' . 2020 (image courtesy of gpp)

eviction . 2020

i'm so happy to announce my participation in round 2 of the gulf photo plus 'covid-19 artist relief print sale', in collaboration with 6:3 collective. the print sale aims to support those in the creative community that have been impacted by the covid-19 pandemic. these have been very tough times for people everywhere, and many in the local creative community have been struggling over the last few months with projects postponed or entirely canceled.

i worked on a new illustration titled 'eviction' of some emptied out architecture i spotted in sharjah that'll probably be demolished at some point in time. i found it beautiful, and thought it would be a great opportunity to illustrate it for the print sale. i hope the illustration generates interest, and people purchase it. i guarantee it will look great in your homes!

'eviction' is priced at aed 350, and measures at 15 x 10 in. if my print isn't what you fancy, there's plenty of other beautiful prints to choose from, created by some of the most talented uae-based graphic designers and illustrators. it's truly an honour to be showcased alongside many of my peers and closest friends.

please head to the 'covid-19 artist relief print sale' page here. the sale will be live until october, so get to shopping now! whether it's for yourself or presents for others, your purchases will truly help those involved.

masking out

mask exploration . 2020

it's officially summer! 

in addition to the first half of the year being an absolute mind****, we now have to bear the scorching heat with half our faces covered thanks to coronavirus. funny enough, before the world moved into mandatory mask wearing, i've been wanting to work on masks as part of my textile practise. so far, i've worked on textile projects for adorning the human body (capes, wraps). i want to continue these explorations through mask making.

concealing one's face comes in various forms and practises found in many cultures around the world. it holds great significance in the arab world, wearing masks or face coverings for various reasons – religious or spiritual, adhering to certain weather conditions, or as a way of dressing conservatively. there is a rich history behind mask wearing rooted in nomadic traditions which have carried through to contemporary face coverings we see today.

i'm interested in exploring masks as a tool for expression. with your face concealed, how can you convey emotion? in many tribal ceremonies, costumes and masks are worn to exaggerate movement and expression, sometimes transforming the wearer to present someone otherworldly and magical. i find these traditions so fascinating and want to explore these practises in my works.

the short gif above shows my first attempt at making a mask that comes alive with movement. it's made from a used medical face mask and multi-coloured ribbons. this is very much a prototype, introducing myself with the process of constructing a mask. i had so much fun making it, and loved the results when wearing it. i felt like i was dancing again, the mask exaggerating my movement.

i'm definitely excited for making more masks in the near future so stay tuned. until then, enjoy the gif above, and notice how my glasses fly off my face! thank you azim al ghussein for taking these photos under the summer sun, and helping me find my glasses hidden in the bushes...

kleaning out my kloset

'kleaning out my kloset' logo . 2020

i'd like to announce a new project i'm setting up titled 'kleaning out my kloset'. 

over the last few months, i've been struggling with trying to clean my room and make a proper living space for myself. my bedroom has been in an embarrassingly bad state since my early twenties, and i haven't been successful in cleaning it up since! but in recent attempts during the covid lockdown, i began clearing out my cupboard, and noticed the amount of t-shirts i've collected over the years.

i've always loved t-shirts. it's become a sort of uniform, wearing a graphic tee on a daily basis. if i'm not wearing one, you know something is wrong! my t-shirts are a reflection of my interests – i love rocking a tee of one of my favourite pop stars, or of characters from comics or tv shows i've grown to love. i wish i kept every t-shirt i wore since i was a kid. i still recall some of my favourite t-shirts in high school which were either discarded or donated once i outgrew them. which is why i've been collecting all my t-shirts over the last couple of decades. some have been difficult to let go of, and some were kept in hopes that i'd be able to wear them again someday.

i've always received compliments over the t-shirts i've worn. i'd like to think i've acquired quite a strong collection of tees. i'm slowly rediscovering many forgotten t-shirts as i clean out my closet, carefully folding and storing them in appropriate boxes, archiving them since i have no plans of getting rid of them anytime soon. with that in mind, i decided to create an instagram account sharing my collection of t-shirts online. i hope it becomes a digital archive and resource that's accessible to other t-shirt aficionados out there. 

without further ado, here's 'kleaning out my kloset'. please do follow the account if it interests you. i'll be posting tees on a regular basis so stay tuned. i hope this will be fun!