Corniche 1

The 2019 edition of FOCAL POINT presented a spotlight on zines and comics. To complement this thematic direction, the Learning department organized several zine and comic workshops and meet-ups with UAE based artists and illustrators. What started as an opportunity to connect and create soon gained impetus and a draft for the first anthology of local comics was proposed. The workshop ‘Comic Makers’, led by Nasir Nasrallah, brought together 15 artists who went on to create new content – in English and in Arabic – which was put together in a book format and launched at the fair.

Corniche 1 is a unique entry into the minds of artists living in the UAE and the first anthology of comics in the UAE. It includes the work of artists Ruba Al Araji, Azim Al Ghussein, Alya Al Hammadi, Aysha Al Hamrani, Mouza Al Hamrani, Manar Laham, Reem Al Marri, Khawla AlMarzooqi, Khalid Mezaina, Mohammed Al Mohanna, Shihabaldeen Al Musharaf, Issa AlNoaimi, Mohammed Al Shaibani, Ibrahim Swaid, and Ayesha Thani, and has been designed by Mouza Al Hamrani. Each story carries the mark of its maker, complete with their style signature tools ranging from traditional ink and pencil to new-media electronic tablets.

The cover, designed by Nasrallah, pays homage to the Sharjah corniche by which the Foundation is located. It was also the view through the windows of Bait Obaid Al Shamsi, where the collaborators sat together to produce the content. In another personal touch, the cover art features the International Space Station, a nod to the journey of the first Emirati astronaut, Hazzaa Ali Almansoori, in space – a milestone event that the corniche collaborators watched together on a laptop from the workshop space.