21.3.16

art week 2016

emirati girl jumping over ghaf tree . 2016

emirati girl standing under ghaf tree . 2016

i just want to start by saying i am so glad art week is over! as a visitor for the first time, not working behind the scenes as an exhibitor, it was great seeing all the art events happening around march, but just as stressful as being involved in the process. also this year, i unfortunately fell really sick during art week, which definitely took its toll.
anyways, besides taking in all the good and bad art, i had the opportunity in participating in a few activities and events during art week. the first being a panel talk at art dubai for the 'al haraka baraka: in movement there is blessing' exhibition, speaking about my work in the show alongside 3 other amazing exhibiting artists.
another contribution were 2 postcards for the rca secret dubai postcard exhibition. the 2 illustrations above were my contribution to this year's edition, very different to my contribution last year (see here). i'm not sure if these got sold, but i hope they did and found a happy home.
my final contribution to this year's march madness was an a3 poster for children to color-in for the sheikha manal little artist's program at art dubai. unfortunately, this poster was part of a bigger publication that didn't see the light. but i hope the future sees the publication come to life, so stay tuned. i end this post with the illustration of a 'big city' skyline.


big city skyline poster . 2016

11.3.16

al hefaiyah mountain conservation centre – part one


from puppet making workshops . 2015

from pattern making workshops . 2015

from collage making workshops . 2015

result from pattern making workshops . 2015

result from collage making workshops . 2015

result from puppet making workshop . 2015

result from stamp making workshops . 2015

final artworks exhibited at al hefaiyah mountain conservation centre . 2016

final artworks exhibited at al hefaiyah mountain conservation centre . 2016

hides (azim al ghussein & khalid mezaina) . 2015

defends (khalid mezaina & azim al ghussein) . 2015

joints (azim al ghussein & khalid mezaina) . 2015

eats (khalid mezaina & azim al ghussein) . 2015

just after summer 2015, i was invited to facilitate a series of children's workshops in the eastern region of the uae, specifically kalba and khor fakkan. i worked on these workshops alongside my dear friend, and insanely talented, azim al ghussein. the aim of these workshops were to create final artworks with works done by the children, which will be permanently exhibited at the al hefaiyah mountain conservation centre in kalba.
azim and i worked with children from youth centers in kalba and khor fakkan, working with 4 youth centers in total, offering 2 workshop sessions in each. the focus of these workshops were to educate the students about the wildlife found in the emirates through art. looking past the obvious camels and falcons, the workshops aimed at educating students about the various animals that exist, and their behaviors.
for the four workshops, the different art techniques we focused on were puppet making, collage, stamp and pattern making. students were thought the basics of these techniques and were then asked to create artworks. in the end, all the student artworks were collected and digitized to later create the final artworks you see above.
the final artworks, along with the technique used, reflects a specific behavioral pattern of the animals. so patterns reflected the various patterns and skins on different animals, collage focused on the defense mechanisms of various animals, puppet making reflected the anatomies of the animals, and stamps focused on the hierarchy of the food chain in the animal world.
the final artworks are currently exhibited at the al hefaiyah mountain conservation centre, which recently opened earlier this month. make sure to head to the centre. it's an amazing space and truly educational. i am extremely proud to be a part of such an important institution in the uae. definitely worth the long drive.
thank you to the al hefaiyah center for the opportunity. also thank you michel and sophy for bringing me on board this project and for your patience throughout this entire process. also, thank you to the kids at the youth centers – hope we did you proud and sparked the inner artists in you. lastly, a big thank you to azim, for being my partner in crime on this project. i wouldn't have been able to have done it without you.

stay tuned for part two of my post on the al hefaiyah centre, where i'll be sharing another project i had the opportunity of working on for the centre.