a day at granny's

a day at granny's (page 1) . 2022

a day at granny's (page 2) . 2022

a day at granny's (page 3) . 2022

a day at granny's (page 4) . 2022

a day at granny's (page 5) . 2022

a day at granny's (page 6) . 2022

"a day at granny's" published in "corniche" comics anthology vol. 4 . 2022

i'm happy to finally share my new short comic "a day at granny's", which is included in this year's edition of corniche, a comics anthology published by the sharjah art foundation.

through the years, i've seen my mum become a cartoon version of herself as she took the mantle as grandma to her grandkids. and like any grandma, she showed her love in the best way she could. this short story is dedicated to the hilarious relationship between my nephews and their grandma. it's also a little homage to some of my favourite stories about witches that fed my imagination as a kid (bedknob & broomstick, hocus pocus, the witches). i hope you enjoy this little story that's filled with a little bit of magic, humour, and the human condition.

corniche is now available. make sure to grab a copy – it's filled with some amazing talent and wonderful short stories and comics. it's truly an honor to be published alongside some great friends and peers, as well as being printed in all four volumes of corniche so far. thank you to the corniche team for making that happen...

focal point 2022

 

'focal point' announcement . 2022 (courtesy of the sharjah art foundation)

it's that time of year again...my favourite cultural event in the uae is back. i'm so excited for the focal point art book fair, hosted by the sharjah art foundation. if you're based in the emirates, and a lover of books, this is a must go to event!

i plan to be there and spend some cash on loads of books and printed matter! plus, my latest issue of 'fade away & illustrate: fawazine' will be available at the fair. there will be a limited amount of copies up for sale, so make sure to get there early to grab a copy. lastly, i'm also happy to announce my latest short comic is included in the fourth volume of 'corniche', a comics anthology. more on that in a future post...

focal point will be happening on the last weekend of november, from 25th to 27th. and 'corniche' will be launching on the first day of the fair so make sure to be there to get a copy and maybe meet some of the artists! for full details on focal point and programming, check out the event webpage here. until then, see you all at focal point...

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.