feeling catty

cat dad(dy) . 2022

 

happy halloween! i hope everyone is having a fun day with spooky costumes and lots of treats. i rarely dress up for halloween anymore, but this year i went out to dance as a cat dad(dy)! i came up with my costume on the day – a handy cat mask that i found at home, black tee and shorts, a harness bag, metal chain and my favourite halloween themed sneakers! i didn't take any photos – i guess you had to be there to see it *wink*
the idea for the costume also came about because of my recent appreciation for cats ever since covid. at home, we have cats that have called our garden their home, and i've become a cat dad ever since. dare i say, i love those critters...

fawazine

 

fade away & illustrate issue 003 'fawazine' cover (design by khalid mezaina) . 2022

fade away & illustrate issue 003 'fawazine' . 2022

after a six year hiatus, my illustration themed zine 'fade away & illustrate' is back! i wish it didn't take this long since the last issue (see here). life got in the way, and this little zine slowly faded away...

the third issue's theme is inspired by 'fawazeer ramadan'. for those who aren't familiar, fawazeer ramadan were egyptian musical television shows that aired during ramadan in the late 1970s – 2010s. families in the arab world would gather around the tv after breaking their fast to watch every episode – solving riddles, mesmerized by the costumes, choreography and set designs. these shows were absolutely joyful, and one would probably define them today as camp! with time, fawazeer ramadan slowly became obsolete. it seemed like people weren't interested in them anymore. but their impact never went away. 

i hope issue 003 acts as a legacy of an important moment in arab pop culture. aptly titled 'fawazine', this issue includes some of my favourite artists and illustrators. a huge thank you goes to all the contributors – this issue is really special thanks to each of you.

a final thank you goes to hind mezaina, for inviting azim al ghussein, lina younes and myself earlier this year to speak about fawazeer ramadan and the impact they had on each of us (more on that here). i hope fawazine is a way of bringing more voices into the conversation, and showing how we all share connected stories with fawazeer ramadan.

fawazine is finally out and available in the world. please get in touch if you'd like a copy. and stay tuned for announcements on where to purchase fawazine in the uae and/or online.

to end this post, i'd like to dedicate fawazine to all the fawazeer ramadan icons and divas – including samir ghanem, nelly (my personal favourite), and the one and only sherihan...

khaleej modern

khaleej modern young person's guide wraparound cover . 2022

khaleej modern young person's guide illustrations . 2022

khaleej modern young person's guide illustrations . 2022

khaleej modern young person's guide illustrations . 2022

khaleej modern young person's guide illustrations . 2022

khaleej modern young person's guide illustrations . 2022

khaleej modern young person's guide . 2022

i had the pleasure of working on the young person's guide for nyuad art gallery's latest exhibition 'khaleej modern: pioneers and collectives in the arab peninsula', curated by dr. aisha stoby. i personally love the youth guides the gallery publish for their exhibitions (check out past ones here). i was so happy being approached to work on one, especially for an exhibition that shares the same initials as me!

i was in charge of the illustrations and layout design for the guide. i'm really happy with how it turned out in the end – a cartoon version of the curator guiding us through some of the highlighted works in the show, asking the reader to think and respond to what they see. i've shared examples of some of the illustrations included in the final guide, and a lil' gif that goes through the entire publication.

i have to thank the nyuad art gallery team for the opportunity. a huge thanks to alaa edris for reaching out and having me on board. it was such a pleasure working together on this project. the khaleej modern exhibition runs until the end of the year, so make sure to check it out, and do pick up a copy of the young person's guide in the process!

everybody say hobb

hobb bookmark artwork (front + back) . 2022

printed hobb bookmarks . 2022 (image courtesy of hobb)

i designed a lil' bookmark for a special lil bookshop! my friend and talented designer haifa malhas has been running an online bookstore called hobb (which means 'love' in arabic) that focuses on art and design titles. earlier this year, she took it a step further and set up a physical bookshop. it's such a great, quaint space and i love having an indie bookstore in my city!

i had the pleasure of working on a bookmark design for the shop. each purchased book will come with a little bookmark designed by me! it was a fun little project i immensely enjoyed. i love seeing my dancing silhouettes on these little bookmarks promoting the love for print.

congrats haifa on the opening of the store and i wish you all the best with it. and thank you for having me be a (little) part of hobb's story. i suggest everyone reading this must go check it out and buy a book or two – there are some great titles that aren't easy to find. let's support small businesses and our love for print...

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.

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)

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

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

'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!

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...