season's greetings

season's greetings . 2015

wishing everyone season's greetings and a krossbreed christmas to those celebrating. hope the holidays are being celebrated with loved ones, and filled with amazing presents!

a quick note on the illustration above – when coming up with an artwork to mark the occasion, i thought it would be fun to reference my current interests in old neighborhoods in dubai. i quickly thought of the trolley handlers who move heaps of items from place to place. to me, they're like little santas dropping off presents to all the grownups around the neighborhood.

once again, season's greetings y'all! see you all in 2016...

mural for facebook

shedha star grocery . 2015

sofia tailor . 2015

salon nad rashid . 2015

shabab al rashideya computer . 2015

community mural process . 2015

community mural process . 2015

community mural . 2015

community mural . 2015

community mural . 2015

community mural detail . 2015

community mural detail . 2015

people who know me know that i am not a facebook account holder. it was something that totally passed me during university, and i've still never gotten around to opening a personal account. but funnily enough, i was approached by facebook recently to work on a mural in their offices in dubai, and was really ecstatic with the invitation.

for the mural, i wanted to communicate the important components that make a community. i created an illustration of a series of traditional shop fronts found in a lot of dubai’s communities. the selected shop fronts communicate the important institutions required for a community to be sustainable – from a grocery store to an electronic shop, to a barbershop and tailor. the selected shops for the mural culminate to define a thriving community that is familiar to dubai’s urban landscape.

the mural commemorates the importance of these shops and their contribution to a community’s sustenance. without the basic necessities these types of shops provide, a community wouldn’t be able to survive. just as an online community like facebook survives off the interactions of each other, communities in the physical world act in the very same way.

i was really happy with the end result and even surprised myself during the process. it's been awhile since i've worked on a mural of this scale, so was proud of the final outcome. thank you facebook for the opportunity, and i hope the team enjoys the mural during office hours. also, thanks to all my friends who helped and visited me while working on site. much appreciated.

a fresh, new look

krossbreed logo . 2015

with new beginnings comes a new look! after 5 years working on projects under the label krossbreed, i've decided to revamp the logo to mark a fresh new start, and have a logo that visually references the work i produce under krossbreed. 

the new logo is a revised version of the previous logo used, still keeping it type based, but having a bold and hand drawn aesthetic to it, keeping with my illustration based practice. after many revisions and edits, which surprisingly took most of the year to work on, i am comfortable with the new logo you see here. i think it's simple yet still leaves an impact.

looking forward to announcing new projects and collaborations in the next few posts. stay tuned...

to new beginnings

tashkeel wall of shame . 2015

there comes a point in everyone's career where one makes a very difficult decision to move on to the next chapter in their lives. i am one of these people taking this next step, and have decided to become a full-time independent creative, figuring out what that means along the way!

friends and followers of my blog know i have been working at dubai's community art space tashkeel around the same time i started this blog. it's been five years i've worked at tashkeel as a project coordinator and graphic designer. i entered tashkeel as an inexperienced 25 year old, looking for an opportunity. after making a very difficult decision, i leave as a mature 30 year old, ready to take on the next challenges in my life.

so much has happened in the last 5 years. i have grown and learnt so much along the way that i can't even begin to explain. tashkeel has become a family to me then just a workplace. i am truly honored to have been a part of the tashkeel team, and contributed to it's development. after 5 years, i think we both have given all we could for each other, and is time for both of us to grow separately. however, they say once you enter tashkeel, you can never leave! i think that is slightly true. even though i'm not an employee there anymore, i still work from tashkeel as a member, using the facilities for the creation and development of my projects.

i have to end this post with a few thank yous. to lateefa and jill – thank you for believing in me 5 years ago and making me part of the team. the experience was unforgettable. to the tashkeel team, past and present, it was a real pleasure working with you all. some of you are more then just ex-work colleagues and i'm humbled to have you as my friends. to everyone else i've encountered along the way, it's been a pleasure. lastly, thank you tashkeel for your positive, creative energy. thank you for making me see the world, grow as a human being and as an artist. wishing you all the best and may you continue to grow and prosper.

its finally time to start doing things my way, and under my terms. i'm looking forward to all that comes next. it's going to be a fun ride.

to new beginnings. stay tuned...

ps – the image above is a wall of hilarious photos of me over the last 5 years at tashkeel, selected by my then work colleague, and friend, salama nasib. i would walk into the office every morning to find a new embarrassing photo of myself stuck behind my desk. i call it the 'wall of shame' because it's hilarious how i looked in the past, and amazing to see how i've evolved over 5 years. thank you salama for the observation!

exhibitions in abu dhabi

at art: process & practice seaf exhibition, warehouse 421 . 2015

at art: process & practice seaf, warehouse 421 . 2015

at emirati expressions: conventions of arts . 2015 (photo by hind mezaina)

november was a busy month at the capital! i am so happy to be a part of 2 important exhibitions – emirati expressions: conventions of arts, and art: process + practice salama bint hamdan emerging artists fellowship, at warehouse 421.

as mentioned in my earlier post on emirati expressions, i am exhibiting illustrations of abu dhabi's iconic cultural and social institutions. as the main exhibition is meant to be an interactive experience, attendees are allowed to take posters of my illustrations. it's been great hearing all the positive feedback and seeing the amount of people carrying these posters! i love that my artwork is accessible to an audience that go beyond art collectors. so thank you to everyone out there that picked up a poster (or three). other products at the exhibition with my illustrations include tote bags, tshirts and notebooks, on sale at the shop. emirati expressions: conventions of arts runs until 31 March 2016, at manarat al saadiyat. for more information click here.

the other exhibition i'm truly honored to be a part of is the seaf (salama bint hamdan emerging artists fellowship) exhibition, art: process and practice. the exhibition is part of a new cultural district in abu dhabi, called warehouse 421, which was inaugurated during an amazing 3 day event filled with a creative market, workshops, music performances and art exhibitions. for the exhibit, i showcased my project observation series which was developed during my progress in the 2014-2015 edition of the fellowship program. friends and followers know how important the project and the fellowship experience was to me. so i am so happy to share my observations series to the public. during the exhibition opening, i was touched by how many people were so positive towards the project. thank you to everyone that came down to say hi and share their feedback. art: process and practice runs until february 2016, at warehouse 421. for more information click here.

i purposely keep this post short and sweet. the real experience is through viewing the artworks in person, and i recommend everyone reading this to do so and check out both exhibitions. i'm humbled to be able to share two art projects i'm proud to have worked on in exhibitions that have been carefully curated and executed.

flags of the uae - a social media project

abu dhabi . 2015

dubai + ajman . 2015

fujairah . 2015

sharjah + ras al khaimah . 2015

umm al quwain . 2015

trucial states . 2015

happy birthday to my home, the united arab emirates. on the occasion of its 44th anniversary, i decided to work on a quick social media project titled flags of the uae, by posting on my social media pages (instagram + twitter) a flag a day of each emirate.

for those who don't know, before the united arab emirates became a nation on 2 december 1971, the uae was known as the trucial states; a group of sheikhdoms under the agreed protection of the british government, between 1820 to 1971. after the treaties with the british government ended, the sheikhdoms, or emirates, decided to unite together, becoming the united arab emirates we know today.

each emirate has it's own flag which are made of red and white fields. the trucial states flag has an additional 7 point star. i find these flags really cool and wanted to share them on the occasion of the uae's 44th anniversary. nowadays you don't get to see these flags much. but at some locations, you still do see flags of each emirate hoisted with pride, along with the official flag of the uae (see below).

alot has changed since the days of the trucial states. the uae has grown so much and so fast, even though its still only 44 years young. i am very proud to be from here, and look forward to growing together. may god bless this nation, its rulers, and people. happy birthday uae!

united arab emirates . 2015