Ever wondered why Sharjah looks so beautiful? Not only is it a city steeped in history and heritage, it’s also a hub for the arts, and you don’t need to shuffle around stuffy museums to see it. Regarded (quite rightly) as the UAE’s cultural capital, Sharjah really likes to go against the grain, and this is never more prevalent than through the Jedariya project.
The street art initiative was started back in 2014 by the Maraya Art Centre with the intention of bringing artists to the emirate of Sharjah, and it’s seen some big names on the arts scene get involved since then.
Artist: Inkman – a Tunisian graffiti artist and graphic designer
Date: January 2019
Location: Corniche Road in Al Majarah, opposite Al Maghfirah Mosque
Description: The mural displays a poem by Munira Sabt Al Sabieie from Bahrain, which reads “Sharjah is like a sun in its presence, light twinkles from it and radiance elevates it, emitting like a star, in its sky, it rises”. “This mural is a mirror reflecting the soul and beauty of Sharjah, and the kindness of its people,” said Inkman.
Artist: Tarsal Schubert – a Brazilian-born street artist
Date: December 2018
Location: Al Qasba
Description: The mural is intended to allow visitors to re-create childhood memories with its colourful patterns. “When I visited Al Qasba I fell in love with the area because it brought back memories of the amusement parks I played in when I was a child,” said Schubert. “This is why I decided to create something that could recreate that feeling of lightheartedness we all feel when we’re children, even if just for a few moments. Crossing that colorful bridge is a way to relive those happy days for one
last time.”
Artist: Magdy Elkafrawy and Mohamed Abdelaziz – both Egyptioan street artists
Date: December 2017
Location: Al Qasba
Description: The graffiti mural aims to introduce Islamic art in a way that is compatible with modern art, featuring stunning calligraphy that is “full of secrets at all visual, technical, and semantic levels”. We are intrigued.
Artist: Vincent Abadie Hafez – a French contemporary artist also known as Zepha
Date: December 2017
Location: Awqaf Building, Heart of Sharjah
Description: Vincent’s transformation of the Awqaf building at the Heart of Sharjah explores the relationship between tradition and modernity.
Artist: MYNEANDYOURS – an Iraqi muralist who was born and raised in London and is famed for his cloud caricatures
Date: July 2017
Location: Bank Street
Description: The mural consists of colourful clouds rising from the ground to the sky against a grey backdrop, with lines which follow them representing motion, which in turn signify people’s motion to develop and move forward. This, he says, also reflects in all great initiatives, industries and cities, in particular art in Sharjah and the UAE. MYNEANDYOURS likes to leave his mark on new surfaces, meaning people have something to think about. He hopes that his symbol will “open up a dialogue with the public, to inspire them to dream big, and to brighten up their day with strong colours, and a positive message.”
Artist: Zena Adhami – a UAE born graphic artist
Date: November 2016
Location: Sharjah Corniche, near Noor Island entrance
Description: Adhami drew inspiration from the phrase “Smile you are in Sharjah”, an iconic sign on Sharjah’s roundabout next to the port, which she recreated in Arabic and blew up to massive proportions. “Any Sharjah resident can tell you a story or two on how that phrase has been a part of their making while living in this city,” she said. “I wanted to give life again to that piece of history, by recreating a special font in a prime location, with colours that evoke memories of childhood in this city.”
Artist: eL Seed – an acclaimed French-Tunisian artist famed for his unique style of calligraphy
Date: January 2015
Location: Bank Street
Description: The inaugural installation in the project, el Seed fuses elements of both the graffiti and Arabic calligraphic traditions – which uses complex design to call not only on the words and their meaning, but also on their movement and flow, luring the viewer into an alternate frame of mind.
