authentic marks

'lovers on the dance floor 1' at authentic marks . 2023

'lovers on the dance floor 2' at authentic marks . 2023

i'm happy to announce my stamp prints lovers on the dance floor are currently exhibited in the fifth edition of 'authentic marks & glows', a printmaking exhibition organised by shaghaf group – a local based community promoting the art and love of printmaking! the exhibition runs from 15 – 22 of july, in building 3 at dubai design district, from 11am – 8pm.

i know the summer heat is pretty bad, but if you happen to be in the area, please stop by and check out the exhibition. it's a humble show highlighting works by both students and practitioners who work within printmaking. there's also open workshops for anyone to explore and experiment with printmaking techniques, and a little shop selling totes and other printed matter. thank you shaghaf group for having me in the show – much appreciated.

i'm ending this short post with the 'authentic marks' e-vite below, which includes exhibition details and information. it also includes artwork details by my friend diego mendoza, who is also participating in the exhibition, and who's been my motivator this year to make and participate in more printmaking themed shows & exchanges. thanks diego!

'authentic marks & glows' exhibition e-vite . 2023 (courtesy of shaghaf group)

our companions

companions illustrated by khalid mezaina . 2023

our companions . 2023 (by khalid mezaina + kyoung mi ahn)

our companions (details) . 2023

scroll books exhibition at the sharjah booth, seoul international book fair . 2023

'our companions' scroll book (detail) . 2023

'our companions' scroll book (detail) . 2023

i'm so happy to finally share my favourite project i worked on this year. i was invited by the sharjah book authority to collaborate with the super talented illustrator kyoung mi ahn on an illustrated scroll book under the theme 'our companions'. the project was launched at the seoul international book fair where the city of sharjah was hosted as their guest of honour.

earlier this year, kyoung mi flew over from seoul to sharjah where we met for the first time to collaborate on this project. we thought of how animals have been companions to humans throughout time and history. with that in mind, we illustrated a number of real and mythical animals, representing both our cultural backgrounds. we also wanted to give a nod to the rich history of manuscripts and book illustration from both the middle and far east.

i can't begin to explain how proud i am of the final outcome of this project. i feel i evolved my illustration style and kyoung mi pushed me to new heights with my stamping technique where i combined both stamping and drawing for the first time which led to amazing results! i also had a chance to fly out to seoul for the first time and attend the book fair as well as explore the city which was so fun and inspiring. it was great seeing my work presented to a new audience outside of the emirates. i hope whoever saw our final scroll book enjoyed it as much as we did working on it.

thank you to the sharjah book authority and mohamed mahdi for the invitation and opportunity to participate in this project. it was truly a wonderful experience and i hope we can work together again in the near future. lastly, a huge thank you to kyoung mi ahn – a true collaborator and friend i'm so happy to add to my life. thank you for everything, and we will work together again for sure!

deep in d.a.n.c.e.

deep in d.a.n.c.e. . 2023

deep in d.a.n.c.e. (relief print on paper) . 2023

deep in d.a.n.c.e. (relief print on paper detail) . 2023

deep in d.a.n.c.e. (relief print on texile) . 2023

deep in d.a.n.c.e. (relief print on textile detail) . 2023

it's the start of a new month and i am happy to share my new body of work – 'deep in d.a.n.c.e.', a series of relief (stamp) prints both on paper and textiles. the new works are currently on show at aisha alabbar gallery's printmaking themed summer show 'press print!'.

'deep in d.a.n.c.e.' is a continuation of my ongoing exploration in stamp printing of capturing moments of dance and joy. i'm really happy with the end result of these prints, considering i'm not working from a designated studio at the moment. these prints were worked on from home, cafes, and friends apartments!

if in dubai, please make sure to stop by the gallery to check out the works in person, as well as the entire exhibition. it's a really great show, and i'm so honored to be exhibiting amongst some of my favourite people in the art world that i call friends. the exhibition runs until 7 september 2023. there's also a line up of programming scheduled during the duration of the show, which includes tours, talks and reading groups. for all the details, please check out the 'press print!' exhibition page via the gallery's website here.

a huge thank you goes to the aisha alabbar gallery team for all their help and efforts in bringing this exhibition together, and inviting me to be a part of it.

press print!

'press print!' exhibition e-announcement . 2023 (courtesy of aisha alabbar gallery)

*** here's another participation announcement ***

i'm happy to share my participation in an upcoming summer group exhibition titled 'press print!' at aisha alabbar gallery. 'press print!' will showcase works by eight artists (including myself) in the realm of printmaking. i'm truly honoured to be exhibiting with some of my favourite, talented people in town. i'll be exhibiting new stamp prints on paper and textiles, continuing my explorations in capturing moments of dance. stay tuned to a future post where i share the final works.

until then, if you're in dubai, please come down to the opening of 'press print!' at aisha alabbar gallery on wednesday, 31 may 2023, from 6 – 9 pm. for more information on the exhibition and programming, check out the exhibition page via the gallery's website here.

see you all at 'press print!'...

safha art book fair

safha art book fair announcement . 2023

i'm happy to announce my participation in the first edition of the 'safha art book fair' in abu dhabi. happening during 26 – 29 may at the cultural foundation, i'll be there selling some of my self published zines, comics and other printed matter alongside other local based entities and independents showcasing their love for print. if you've missed out on getting your hands on some of my publications old + new, now's your chance! 

for more information on the safha art book fair, check out the event page here. there's also a series of talks and workshops scheduled for the duration of the fair (check out and click on images below).

looking forward to seeing you all at safha – if you're in abu dhabi in the end of may, please pass by and say hi!

camo dance

camo dance . 2023

camo dance (prints) . 2023

it's been awhile since i participated in an international print exchange. it was during my undergrad years and i worked on a series of screen printed postcards, in hopes of receiving really cool prints in return by other artists and printmakers from around the world. but unfortunately, a lot of my own prints came back instead! it was disappointing, and i never wanted to participate in print exchanges ever again. but thanks to my friend and talented printmaker diego mendoza, i was encouraged to rethink print exchanges and convinced me to take part (thanks diego!).

i worked on these three coloured stamp prints titled 'camo dance' for the 9inhandpress 2023 print exchange. i created 15 of these hand stamped prints, signed and numbered and ready to be shared. i really liked how these turned out. i hope whoever around the world gets a hold of these will like them too.

stay tuned for updates on the print exchange once it happens. i'm so excited to receive prints from others – here's hoping it works out this time around...

ramadan so far...

ramadan kareem . 2022

here's a short little post – i realised i never shared the artwork above when i worked on it last year. it was created for one of my favourite clients, coco jalila for their ramadan announcement. i really liked the simplicity of the overall artwork, and was hoping to see it printed as one of their chocolate boxes – maybe next ramadan?

speaking of ramadan, hope everyone observing is having a blessed holy month so far. now that i don't have a private studio to work from (the space where my studio was based has temporarily closed for building renovations), my ramadan consists of hot desk-ing around dubai, working on my laptop and catching up on projects + personal errands. i really like how calm things have been, giving me a chance to focus on self care and going through my 'things to do' list which i have avoided for months! i hope this streak of productivity continues.

until then, stay tuned for updates on projects i worked on over the last couple of months. i can't share anything just yet, so keep an eye out for upcoming posts...