ICD Brookfield Place invites everyone to see posters by the winners of the latest iteration of Tasmeem, an annual graphic design competition and exhibition. Organised by ICD Brookfield Place Arts, it supports emerging designers and artists in the region, providing them with an important platform to showcase their art pieces in the heart of DIFC. The exhibition is free to visit and will be open to the public until the 30th of August, 2024.
This year’s theme, Memory Box, was proposed by multidisciplinary designer Wafa Al Falahi; it explores how personal and collective memories shape artistic expression. So, those who participated in the competition were tasked with creating designs that reflect and translate cultural memories into a visual language evoking nostalgia, wonder, and belonging.
A special selection committee, which features designer Mohammed Ameer, architects Elias and Yousef Anastas, artist Christopher Joshua Benton, and Sunny Rahbar (Co-founder of The Third Line), has chosen thirteen winners. Alongside having their works exhibited at ICD Brookfield Place, each winner has received a cash prize of Dh1,000.
The twelve winning posters on display reflect the distinct cultural narratives and personal histories of their creators, illustrating how memory informs and enriches design. For example, in her work The Egg, Egyptian graphic designer Marina Nader Asham focuses on a game and nursery rhyme she shared with her grandmother as a child. Asham interpreted the essence of the game into a visual language with the lyrics of the song incorporated within the design. Dubai-based graphic designer and illustrator Mezna Suwaidan‘s poster, Are We Still Having Fun?, depicts a childhood play through exaggerated sizes of toys and the figure entrapped with a doll house. Visitors can also admire graphic designer and illustrator Toka Assal‘s piece (Mahbuba) Folk Tattoos dedicated to folk tales, and Come in, it Wild by Waleed Abodouh Mohamed, a lettering artist residing in Egypt. His poster portrays an old school bus.
Other winners include includes Syrian graphic designer Hala Al Afsaa; Jordanian graphic designer Dana Al Sheyyab; designer, artist, and architect Kanaka Raghavan; Saudi graphic designer Shoug Abdullah Almutairi; designer and 3D artist Adnan Arif who has collaborated with Palestinian-American ceramicist, photographer, and mixed-media artist Lena Kassicieh; graphic designer Hessa Naser Alkhanji; graphic designer and illustrator Mahynour Sawa; and visual artist Sarah Khorbtli.
To get more information about Tasmeem 2024: Memory Box, please visit the official web page of the exhibition.
In addition, you might be interested in reading our articles about three successful NFT female Arab artists and the Utopic Arabia art duo.
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