Khalid Mezaina (b. Dubai, 1985) is an Emirati illustrator, textile artist and printmaker. His practice explores contextual narratives, stories and relationships in places of constant change. Through an experimental and practical approach, the artist illustrates past memories and present observations, reflecting imaginative states of being. Khalid’s observations range from a curiosity for regional and historical talismanic practices to observations of a contemporary city like Dubai, that is in a constant state of transformation. His work is playful, often drawing inspiration from comic books, dance and pop music, ceremonial textiles and costumes, and stories about the human condition.
Khalid was part of several international programmes and exhibitions, including Jameel Library Commissions: In Search of Magic, Jameel Arts Centre, Dubai, UAE (2022 - 2023); Press Print!, Aisha Alabbar Gallery, Dubai, UAE (2023); Fashcultivate, UAE Cultural Week, Pallati i Kongreseve, Tirana, Albania (2022); Ink With Hope, KED Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon (2022); Delusions & Errors, Shelter Art Space, Cairo, Egypt (2022); Sharjah Guest of Honour, Bologna Children’s Book Fair, Bologna, Italy (2022); Portrait of a Nation II: Beyond Narratives, Manarat Al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi, UAE (2022); UAE Year of the 50th, Permanent Mission of the UAE to the UN, NY, USA (2021); Made in Tashkeel, Tashkeel, Dubai, UAE (2021, 2019, 2016, 2014, 2008); Scripts and Calligraphy: A Timeless Journey, National Museum in Riyadh, KSA (2021); Cultural Foundation Art Residency, Abu Dhabi, UAE (2020); Nomadic Traces: Journey of Arabian Scripts, Warehouse 421, Abu Dhabi, UAE (2019); DRAK: Design Ras Al Khor, Dubai Design Week, Dubai, UAE (2018); Weltformat Graphic Design Festival, Lucern, Switzerland (2018); RISD Textiles, The Gallery at 200 Lex, New York Design Center, USA (2018); From Barcelona to Abu Dhabi: Works from the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art (MACBA) in Dialogue with the Emirates, Manarat Al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi, UAE (2018); The Whole Nine Yards: Textiles Graduate Biennial Show, Sol Koffler Gallery, RI, USA (2018); Portrait of a Nation, ME Collectors Room Berlin, Berlin, Germany (2017); Emirati Expressions: Conventions of Arts, Manarat Al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi, UAE (2015); Art: Process & Practice, Warehouse 421, Abu Dhabi, UAE (2015); UAE Pavilion, Milan World Expo, Milan, Italy (2015); The Post Oriental Odyssey, The Mine, Dubai, UAE (2015); Salama bint Hamdan Emerging Artists Fellowship (SEAF), Abu Dhabi, UAE (2015); Past Forward (a traveling exhibition commissioned by the UAE Embassy and the Meridian International Center in Washington, DC), Washington, DC, Texas, Los Angeles, CA, Michigan, and Chicago, Il, USA (2014 – 2015); What Do You Hear?, Sikka, Dubai, UAE (2014); The Present, Maraya Art Centre, Sharjah, UAE (2012); Crossing the Line, Langford 120, Melbourne, Australia (2012); MinD - City’s Dialogue, Dubai Community Theatre & Arts Centre (DUCTAC), Dubai, UAE (2011); Delfina Foundation Residency, London, UK (2011)
Khalid holds a BS in Visual Communications, American University of Sharjah (2006) and MFA in Textiles, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) (2018). Khalid worked as a graphic designer and projects coordinator at a number of institutions in the UAE, including Sharjah Art Foundation and Tashkeel in Dubai.