Maitha Abdalla is a multi-disciplinary Emirati artist born in 1989. She offers an alluring blend of performance, painting, and sculpture to the field of contemporary art. Through her unique amalgamation of film, photography, and theatrical elements, Abdalla’s work can reach deep into themes such as mythology, folklore, and psychology. Her artistic journey is bold-the exploration of identity, vulnerability, and social conditioning-eloquently created through a lens of drama and abstraction. She is incredibly insightful in commenting on the self through both the body and medium to voice the complexities of the human experience with every work.

Maitha Abdalla is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice spans painting and sculpture, film, and performance in an inquiry into personal identity, cultural narratives, and the human condition. Born in 1989 and having obtained her Bachelor of Visual Arts from Zayed University in 2015, Abdalla is a central figure in the UAE’s contemporary art scene.

Abdalla is highly influenced by the constructed and performative nature of theatre, the ability to create a place within the performative realm that furthers a conceptual space which questions and rethinks the frames of social dictations, personal experiences, and cultural memories. Fantastical characters combined with surreal landscapes invite viewers into a world somewhere between reality and imagination within her often created works. Abdalla draws her influences from folklore and mythological inspirations, seeking within the stories that have so long impacted Emirati culture. Working with ancient tales, intertwined with themes taken from more modern connotations, her art reflects not only on the past but also challenges contemporary social conditioning. The thematic content of her works frequently relates to gender roles, societal expectations, and psychological explorations; these provide an intimate touch to her works while making them universally relatable.

Abdalla’s practice often interrogates the self, as she builds characters that represent varied personas of herself. These characters live in constricted domestic settings-a metaphor, perhaps, for the constraints placed on them by society. It is in such spaces that the vulnerabilities of the characters become exposed, and their turmoil may be shared at some subliminal level with the viewer. For Abdalla, art is not only a medium of expression but one of confrontation; thus, the opportunity to research and question the ideas and experiences that have shaped her world. It is through such investigations of the self that she has been able to create works of art that simultaneously vibrate on both personal and universal levels-her characters and scenes personifying emotions and narratives that many can identify with.

Abdalla assumes a unique bodily attitude of creation in her art. Often, with thick textures of oil and acrylic paint rich in detail and emotion, she uses her hands to apply paint. The gestural movements-like tracing her figure with smears of charcoal-enable her body to be an active and integral part of the very creation process. This technique reveals Abdalla’s considerate opinion of art as an extended performance-that every brushstroke or charcoal mark is, literally, a sequel to the performance in her tussle between abstraction and representation. The physical aspect of her work adds another layer of depth to her exploration of identity since it really underlines the relationship between the body and mind, and, equally, the self and the external world.

Abdalla’s work tends to be dramatic and melancholic, an emotion enhanced by the theatrical and performative nature of her approach. This melancholy, however, is the bottom line for the power both in the character she creates and in treading hard subjects such as social conditioning and gender. Her artwork fluctuates between vulnerability and being empowered while her characters confront those societal norms that want to contain them. It thus sets up a duality that has come to typify Abdalla’s work: offering viewers and opportunity for reflection about personal experiences of vulnerability and strength, or identity.

Khaled Al Jabri’s foray into becoming a caricature artist began at a very early age and was deeply rooted in a love for art and humour. Born and raised in Abu Dhabi, Khaled was always fascinated by the way daily life would take shape and find moments to make it into a quick-witted illustration. His love for comics combined with a strong attachment to Emirati culture has influenced his style of caricature art in such a way that it can only meld humour with cultural commentary. The most important project for Khaled in the world of comics was Harabat, through which he earned recognition because of his incomparable style and whiteness. This title became a passport in his career, showing how humorous incidents of light-hearted humour combined with relatable scenarios often referring to the lives of Emiratis. Harabat was the starting point for what was going to be a successful journey in the world of art.

Following Harabat, Khaled continued to refine his style, influenced by both traditional and contemporary Emirati life. His work focuses on the intricacies of everyday interactions, teasing out the humour in modern UAE life without ever losing sight of respect for the culture and heritage of his country.

Social media has been key in the rise of cartoonist Khaled Al Jabri. His Instagram profile is a kind of digital gallery where he posts his comics from time to time; he has thousands of followers on Instagram. By doing so, Khaled pokes fun at everything, from everyday life to cultural phenomena in the United Arab Emirates. Instagram helped him reach a much larger audience than before, but most importantly, it gave him space for direct contact with fans. His relatable content makes him resonate with people of different backgrounds with the humour in his comics. Be it the traffic jam in Abu Dhabi or the celebration of traditional Emirati weddings, Khaled’s comics are light-hearted yet meaningful depictions of life in the UAE.

One of the distinctive attributes of Khaled’s work has been to use Emirati culture in his art. Many of his comics deal with traditional topics related to family, hospitality, and daily routines of the Emiratis, but done in a humorous manner. Other than entertaining, Khaled allows his audiences to appreciate the culture of the Emiratis more. His characters have often resembled the common man-the one whom you might easily locate on Abu Dhabi’s crowding streets or at the souq. It’s that reliability that gives him success, as his audience can find themselves in the illustrations. From societal norms to the more benign moments of humour in life, Khaled balances satire and pride in culture.

Khaled Al Jabri’s artistic journey is a perfect example of humour in art. Creating caricatures, he merged Emirati traditional culture with the modern life of people and gave unique and amusing insights that have grasped the attention of all kinds of people. Continuing the making and sharing process, Khaled does not only keeps his followers smiling but also contributes to the growing landscape of art in the United Arab Emirates.

Ibbini’s works meld technology and artistry into a collected series of layered pieces to form complicated but visually stunning patterns. From Leeds College of Art and Design, she emerged to become not only an outstanding Abu Dhabi artist but also an avid curator. This itself stands out as evidence of her innovative way of doing things and her commitment to pushing artistic boundaries. She is a true force in the art world with her unique process, captivating her audience with every little detail.

Julia Ibbini’s work perfectly balances technological precision with creative mastery. Resident in Abu Dhabi for nearly three decades, she is an Abu Dhabi-based long-term resident noted in the UAE’s art landscape, known for her intricate laser-cut designs and deep attention to detail. Yet Ibbini’s creations do more than please the eye: they extend the traditional boundaries of art with an interplay among human creativity and precision machinery. Her works are not simply drawn or painted but layered-very carefully assembled through techniques in laser cutting that give them a three-dimensional sculptural quality. Literally, dozens of layers are created with each piece to make one intricate, geometric design that will catch the eye to stare.

Laser-cutting technology allows her to achieve a level of precision that would be almost impossible with traditional tools. These patterns, often inspired by Islamic architecture and nature, including mandalas, are designed with great care on the computer and then manually translated into physical materials such as paper, wood, and metal. The result is an appealing blend of digital design and handcrafted beauty where each layer has an important function in creating depth and intricacy. The medium enables Julia Ibbini to move into new frontiers of art, whereby technology has become an enabler of creativity and not a substitute thereof. Her works are so detailed at times that they require months of planning and execution. Thus, each piece is a labour of love and precision.

Julia Ibbini’s artistic journey began in Leeds College of Art and Design, UK. She strengthened her skills and built a sound grounding in the visual arts. This education gave her a technical ability and vision that she brings into her works today. It wasn’t until she moved to Abu Dhabi, however, that her art truly evolved into the distinctive style she sports today. As a matter of fact, it was a 27-year-long living spell in Abu Dhabi that truly set the spirit of Ibbini’s works going. The pulsating cultural scene, coupled with architectural grandeur, was just what she needed for her development as an artist. Her inspiration generally draws from the rich patterns and intricate designs of Islamic art, which often give her works the geometrical precision and ornate detailing characteristic of the region’s architecture.

One of the reasons Ibbini’s work finds such ready resonance with audiences is her skillful balancing of traditional artistic precepts with state-of-the-art technology. By curating exhibitions and participating in local initiatives, she also shapes the UAE’s future in art. This double role as an artist and a curator fixed her status as one of the important figures in the Middle Eastern art world.

While much of Ibbini’s works are physical, she has started her venture into digital art space with NFTs. This extends her artwork to a global audience in the digital marketplace again, showing her open heart toward innovation. In such a way, her art soars beyond the geographical boundary and affords new opportunities for collectors from every part of the world to appreciate her minute designing. With the fast-growing trends in NFT in the art world, Ibbini’s inclusion of digital technology in her work accomplishes placing her perfectly to thrive in this new environment. Whereas others are now just catching up with the potential for NFTs, Ibbini is well ahead of the pack, blending precision laser-cut techniques with the limitless possibility available through the digital realm.

Julia Ibbini’s art is a lot more than the sum of its aesthetic parts; it is a considered look at just how technology can add to, and aid in, the expression of art. With Ibbini seamlessly marrying analogue and digital techniques, her work dares viewers to rethink the possibilities of contemporary art. In continued fashion, with her presence both locally in exhibitions and in the digital NFT space, the influence is sure to snowball.