khalid mezaina • illustration & textiles

19.7.22

in search of magic

'in search of magic' announcement . 2022 (courtesy of the jameel arts centre)

so it's been quite a few months since i've updated my blog. i think i've been digitally exhausted, and needed a break from constantly updating my online channels, including awful social media! but i think the break has given me the space i needed to come back and share updates, including upcoming projects that i'm really excited about.

with that said, i'm so happy to announce my participation in this year's 'jameel library commissions' by the jameel arts centre. i'll be nerding out in the jameel library over the next 12 months, using the library as a resource to research all things textiles, talismans, and anything in between.
titled 'in search of magic', the project will unfold every month with writings published online, as well as a new textile piece which will evolve throughout the year-long commission. i'm really looking forward to this project, and excited to see what i come up with over the upcoming year. i'm so grateful for the opportunity, and i can't thank the jameel team enough for providing me the space and platform to develop my practise through research, writings and a new textile piece.

for whoever's reading this, i hope you can join me on this magical journey. the project has it's own website, with monthly writings published alongside a selected reading list sourced from the jameel library. please check out and subscribe to https://insearchofmagic.jameelartscentre.org/

lastly, if you ever visit the library space, you might catch a glimpse of the textile piece, which will be installed during it's many stages as it develops during the course of the commission.

13.5.22

inspiring cultures to connect

inspiring cultures to connect (left wall) . 2021

inspiring cultures to connect (middle wall 1 of 2) . 2021

inspiring cultures to connect (middle wall 2 of 2) . 2021

inspiring cultures to connect (right wall) . 2021

'inspiring cultures to connect' at the australian pavilion . 2021 (image courtesy of the australian pavilion)

a little late in sharing this, but here's my last expo 2020 dubai related project that i worked on. i had the pleasure of collaborating with australian artist tyrown waigana for the australian pavilion's 'vip canberra majlis' veranda. tyrown and i collaborated on a digitally illustrated mural that was installed throughout the entire balcony. titled 'inspiring cultures to connect', the final artwork merges both our cultures, combining references of indigenous australian culture with my interpretation of emirati culture and hospitality. responding to tyrown's dreamlike representation of the aboriginal 'songline', i thought of sitting by a fireplace at night, sharing stories in the oral tradition and the hospitality of native desert dwellers.

i really think we came up with a pretty awesome design, considering both of us were working on this in different countries and timezones, and only met online over zoom! it was a real pleasure working with tyrown, and probably one of the smoothest collaborations i ever worked on.

a huge thank you goes to the australian pavilion team for the wonderful opportunity and support. i end this post with a little video about the project where you hear tyrown and myself talk about our little collaboration. enjoy!

30.4.22

at my own pace

untitled . 2022

i haven't been updating my blog with many new projects since the year started, as i'm still catching up on sharing stuff from last year! at the same time, i'm also taking things slow, not taking on too many consecutive projects, and working at my own pace that isn't stressful. i'm still coming out of the end of 2021 madness i.e. multiple expo + national day projects, and don't want to rush into saying yes to everything that comes my way. with that said, i have been working on a couple of exciting, new projects that i can't wait to share.

i write this post as the first day of eid al fitr has just been announced, and we have one more day left for ramadan. which also means, i look forward to getting back on the dance floor! early eid mubarak wishes from me to you, and i hope ramadan was a month filled with blessings for all.

here's a recent two colour stamp print i worked on in the studio. i love making these prints of silhouettes in moments of dance. maybe this motif will lead to a bigger project. let's see if it does, at my own pace...

13.4.22

seven sands

coco jalila uae 50th national day commemorative chocolate box design (final) . 2021

coco jalila uae 50th national day commemorative chocolate boxes (final) . 2021

here's another project i worked on for the uae's 50th national day celebrations, this time for coco jalila. coco jalila is one of my favourite clients, and i'm so happy to have designed another special chocolate box for them (see first box design here).

for the uae's golden jubilee, i wanted to work on something that was a little different than the usual visuals of flags and 'emirati' motifs. i immediately thought of the 'seven sands of the uae', where each emirate is know to have a distinct colour of sand. i worked on these coloured dune shapes that stack over each other to represent the different coloured sand dunes of each emirate, and can also represent the different flavours of chocolate in the box!

the final box also includes the coco jalila logo printed in gold foil to subtly represent the uae's golden jubilee, and give it an elegant touch.

i'm really happy with how it turned out, and i hope whoever came across these enjoyed it too, including the chocolates! if you haven't tried their chocolates yet, what are you waiting for – order coco jalila chocolates now! #supportlocal

27.3.22

flora of the uae

acacia . 2020

desert cotton . 2020

ghaf . 2020

ochradenus . 2020

salt bush . 2020

oasis environmental panels at the uae pavilion, expo 2020 dubai . 2021 (courtesy of the uae pavilion)

as expo 2020 dubai comes to a close at the end of the month, i thought i would share a couple of projects i worked on with some of the pavilions at the fair. first up is the uae pavilion – i was asked to illustrate a selection of indigenous plants from the emirates which were applied onto informational panels in the 'oasis' garden around the pavilion.

i was really happy to be accepted for this project. i learnt so much about plants that grow here, something i usually take for granted when distracted by life in the city! i worked on these illustrations in the very hot summer of 2020 where covid was all the news. and since expo was pushed for the following year, there was plenty of time to work on these and deliver a well resolved series of minimal plant drawings.

i've only shared a selection of illustrations from the complete series (12 in total). there's a few others shown in the photographs above as well. if you're reading this and might've seen these panels in person, hope you enjoyed the illustrations! a big thanks goes to the uae pavilion for the opportunity. and congratulations on your presence and success at expo.

16.2.22

birthday giggles

portrait . 2022

it's that time again – i'm a year older, a year wiser. i decided to take a break from posting about ongoing projects to share with you an illustration of myself laughing hysterically on the verge of passing out! for those who know me, this is a very common state to find me in after hearing or watching something i find hilarious. i am easily humoured, and i'm truly blessed for all the laughter in my life, finding the brighter side to this sometimes sad and heavy world. i hope i continue to be this way, and have the right people surrounding me to join in on the laughs!

on this birthday, i'd like to give thanks to all the blessings that have come my way through the years. i'm really grateful for everything this life has given me so far, and count my blessings all the time. my only birthday wish this year is that whoever reads this takes the opportunity to offer a lending hand and provide some joy to others. whether it's through charities, donations, or however you see fit, i hope you can offer some sort of help to individuals and communities that are in need...

happy birthday to me! hope it'll be a good one inshallah...

6.2.22

fun to the finish

sun and sand sports illustration . 2022

taking a break from sharing 2021 projects to sharing my first project of 2022! i was approached by sun and sand sports to work on an illustration inspired by their new retail store in dubai mall. sun and sand sports is probably the oldest sports/active wear store in the emirates. growing up in dubai, i've made multiple stops to their stores with family to buy brand new sneakers for school or funky tees to include in my young boy wardrobe! it's amazing that it is still standing strong after 40+ years – an achievement in a place that's constantly changing, and things close as they are unable to keep up with the times.

i'm really proud to be a part of this journey in some small, illustrative way. the final illustration appropriates the vibrant feel and branding of the new store, but also riffs off my memories and interactions with the store in the '90s. another observation is how it also resembles their original logo from the 1980s which i wasn't even referencing (see here)! i must've opened some dormant memory in my brain while working on this...

i'm really happy with the end result. congratulations sun and sand sports on the new store and on 4 decades of success #funtothefinish

sun and sand sports dubai mall store (visual mood board) . 2022