Ichraq Bouzidi has joined forces with Bloomingdale’s to create a unique illustration that commemorates the UAE’s Golden Jubilee. The renowned Moroccan visual artist and architect, who is based in the emirates, and the American luxury department store brand are helping mark the milestone moment with the creative visual titled “The Year of The Dreamers.”
The design, which will be launched on December 2 across Bloomingdale’s platforms, and in-store at The Dubai Mall, is a metaphor presenting the spirit of the 50th National Day celebrations, being the year of the dreamers. With its mixture of the national anthem piano music, bird sounds, wind and the waves depicting the UAE’s unique landscape encompassing elements of nature, it’s an ode to the early, present and future dreamers. They are the ones who shaped, are shaping, and will shape the nation leading to a future where dreams come true.
Additionally, the bespoke piece is an interpretation of the emotional connection the artist, who is known for her deeply personal illustrations on Instagram, fosters with her memories growing up in the UAE.
“My memory goes back to my first encounter with the fossil rocks and desert, I was with my family and remember hearing a piece of unknown piano music bouncing poetically with the wind blowing,” Bouzidi, who conveys a shared human experience in her drawings, said. “This design reminds me of my beautiful childhood in this country and everything I have achieved.”
The partnership with Bouzidi is an initiative by Bloomingdale’s, the store that brings together the world’s biggest names under one roof, to support collaborations with artists and content creators. The collaborations aim to encourage the creatives to produce impactful and creative designs promoting homegrown talent.
About Ichraq Bouzidi
Visual artist and story teller Ichraq Bouzidi, who studied architecture and urban planning in Morocco and Belgium, has a subtle minimalistic approach. Her work resonates with images gleaned from the realm of imagination, in which the duality between clarity of content and ambiguity is the focus. By manipulating the viewer, her compositions generate emotion, balancing on the edge of recognition and alienation. Her artwork, which explores media ranging from illustration and sculpture to installation and painting, directly responds to the surrounding environment and uses every day experiences and real daily facts in a surreal way.
