make me dance, cats

make me dance, cats . 2023

'make me dance, cats' at design dispatch . 2023

here's a newly commissioned artwork for a group show i'm happy to be a part of – 'design dispatch', curated by möbius design studio, is a themed exhibition on the power of the graphic t-shirt, and how the graphic tee can be a tool for communicating messages, expressions and enabling conversations. the exhibition is inspired by research on the graphic t-shirt by egyptian illustrator and graphic designer mohieddine ellabbad.

as someone who's gotten multiple comments on the t-shirts i wear (and is also a collector of graphic tees), i was really happy to be invited to be a part of this show. my contribution was a fun illustration on my love for dance, and cats! and it's also a little wink to (arabic) dancing cat memes that are in abundance online. given the current state of the news from around the world, i hope this brings a little smile on peoples faces. 

the entire exhibition is quite fun, so if you're in or around abu dhabi, please make sure to head to manarat al saadiyat to check out the show in person. the exhibited t-shirts are gigantic, so be prepared! 'design dispatch' runs from 12 december 2023 to 23 february 2024. for more information on the exhibition, click here. lastly, thank you to möbius design studio for having me on board.

three queens

three queens (page 1) . 2023

three queens (page 2) . 2023

three queens (page 3) . 2023

three queens (page 4) . 2023

three queens (page 5) . 2023

three queens (page 6) . 2023

 

'three queens' published in corniche volume 5 . 2023

i'm happy to share my latest short comic for the fifth volume of 'corniche', an annual comics anthology published by the sharjah art foundation. when i'm asked what 'three queens' is about, i say it's a story about three queens waiting for a disco ball to hatch! readers can interpret the story however they want. but for me, it's a metaphor for the things and people that make up my world, and i probably wouldn't be the person i am today without them. i combined things that carry meaning to me and came up with a bizarre story with a lot of heart. i'm really proud of this one and i hope whoever reads it loves it as much as i do...

corniche volume 5 is now available. make sure to grab a copy – it's a beautiful edition with amazing talent. i'm so honoured to be included in all five volumes so far! i can't thank the corniche team enough for all their effort and support through the years. a huge thank you to the super talented nasir nasrallah for including me in every edition so far, as well as his beautiful efforts in creating the cover artwork for each volume.

ending my post with the accompanying illustrated portrait for the contributors page – it's giving...

portrait . 2023

palestine 2023 for art jameel shop

'palestine 2023' for art jameel shop . 2023

i was invited by the jameel art centre to contribute to the art jameel shop's 'posters for palestine' campaign. i'm super honoured to be a part of this, alongside some of my favourite friends and industry peers. the campaign includes newly commissioned posters by a select group of artists and designers, including myself! i reworked my illustration from my last post (see here), from being less aggressive to a more optimistic and positive visual. 

sales for each poster will directly be donated to the emirates red crescent's 'tarahum – for gaza' relief campaign (donate now to the campaign by clicking on link here). the posters are currently available at the art jameel shop pop up during dubai design week at dubai design district (d3). the pop up runs from 7 – 12 november 2023, so make sure to go down there and grab copies of your favourite posters.

palestine

 

palestine . 2023

i recently remembered a poster illustration i had worked on back in 2003, as a present for a friend who was a strong supporter of the palestinian cause. with the current ongoing atrocities in the news, i fished out my old sketchbook, and felt the urge to redraw what i found in the yellowing pages. 

it's been twenty years since the drawing, and nothing has changed. my heart is heavy witnessing the ongoing genocide of innocent palestinians by their evil oppressors. the politicians and media of the 'free world' are forever complicit in the mass killings of innocent lives, and the atrocities they have enabled in the region for decades. 

if you're reading this and feeling helpless, don't give up. we are blessed and privileged – do your part by donating aid, sharing correct information, read history, and most importantly, stand up for what is right...

to palestine – may you have the strength to continue to resist, and one day be set free. i'm ending this short post with the original sketch below from twenty years ago...

palestine (sketch) . 2003

happy tension day

kylie tension . 2023

i've been taking a break from posting things online and avoiding social media. i wanted to stay away longer, but there's only one thing that can pull me back in, and that is my favourite pop star in the world – kylie minogue.

happy tension day! kylie's 16th studio album 'tension' is officially out today, and i thought i'd commemorate her latest with a little illustration of the gorgeous album cover. also, 16 is my favourite number! i've mentioned this before – kylie is really hard to draw! but i was really happy with how this turned out. if you're seeing this kylie, i hope you like it too...

listening to new music on their release day brings me so much joy. there's a lost appreciation for indulging in music and appreciating physical albums which the digital sphere has taken away. to play a cassette tape, cd or vinyl without skipping songs, exploring the album insert and reading lyrics or looking at beautiful photography and art direction, reading the artist's dedication – the kids today will never understand how great these moments are. 

if you don't hear from me, i'll be tucked somewhere listening to the album on repeat and just taking it all in...

dubai roundabouts

deira clocktower . 2023

the flame monument . 2023

fish roundabout . 2023

earlier this year i worked on a series of illustrations of some of dubai's iconic roundabouts. they were meant to be part of a larger project that unfortunately didn't come to fruition (so far). i really liked how these illustrations turned out, and didn't want them go unseen. so i thought i would release them independently as a series of digital prints, available for sale very soon.

i focused on these three particular roundabouts because they're structures i would regularly encounter while being driven around in the neighbourhood of deira as a young passenger with my family. the deira clocktower and fish roundabout still stand strong today, but the flame monument has been moved off the streets and now stands in a park. i still encounter these structures today, and they remind me of the very few things in dubai that have survived the city's many changes over the last 50 years. i find them extremely beautiful and timeless.

stay tuned for future announcements once the 'dubai roundabouts' prints are available for purchase...

dance distortion

dance distortion . 2023

dance distortion (prints) . 2023

here's a recent stamp print i worked on as part of my participation in aisha alabbar gallery's printmaking exhibition 'press print!'. as the main exhibition comes to a close on sep 7 (see earlier post about the exhibition here), i wanted to share this new print i worked on for the 'press print! print exchange box' – a limited edition box which includes a4 sized prints from all eight participating artists. the box is an edition of 25, and are available for purchase through the gallery for a limited time.

the new print is an extension of my works on display in the show – capturing a moment in dance. for these prints, i changed it up a bit by adding extra limbs to the dancing figure to make it look like multiple dance poses and the body in motion. it also looks like a mythic figure – some sort of dancing god perhaps...?! i'm really happy with how these prints turned out in the end.

if anyone wants to know more information about the 'press print! print exchange box' or interested in getting one, head to the product page via the gallery's website here. i've seen some of the prints done by the other artists, and trust me when i say, this box is special...