Third year of Tasmeem poster exhibition explores the power of memory

Winning designers receive Dh1,000 for their creations, which are on show in the DIFC

Regional designers were tasked with creating posters under the theme of Memory Box. Photo: ICD Brookfield Place

The winners of Tasmeem, the annual graphic design and poster exhibition at ICD Brookfield Place, have been revealed.

This year’s theme of Memory Box was open to all regional graphic designers. Created by Emirati multidisciplinary designer Wafa Al Falahi, artists were tasked with creating a design that reflected and translated cultural memories into a visual language that would evoke nostalgia, wonder and belonging.

Twelve posters by 13 regional designers were selected, who were awarded Dh1,000 each. Printed in large size the posters, now on display at the exhibition at the space in the Dubai International Financial Centre, vary in style and subject matter but are connected through the theme that inspired them.

This year’s competition included a collaboration with The Third Line where one of the designers was selected to create and sell limited-edition prints at the gallery in Alserkal Avenue.

Egyptian graphic designer Marina Nader Asham won for her work entitled The Egg. “It's an honour and a privilege to be recognised as one of Tasmeem winners this year,” Asham tells The National. “The opportunity to share my work on such a platform is incredibly rewarding and humbling.”

Asham’s work depicts intricate Arabic text in a modern stylised font in red and white against a black background. Within the font is the shape of an egg and five hands that seem to be counting down. It’s an intricate, balanced design with a compelling narrative.

Asham took the theme and reflected on a game and nursery rhyme that she shared with her grandmother as a child. “This song has stayed with me since my grandmother passed away,” Asham says. “I even introduced it to my sister when she was young; it was a cornerstone of my upbringing. The game was essentially a song consisting of five parts or lines. With each verse, one finger on your hand would be lowered until all five were down, and then we would both simply laugh.”

Asham interpreted the essence of the game into a visual language with the lyrics of the song incorporated within the design. Even for those who don’t know the game or song, Asham’s colour choice, composition and style of illustrations are welcoming, spirited and familiar.

“I hope viewers feel a sense of warmth and nostalgia while recalling their own cherished memories,” she adds. “I want there to be an emotional response that extends beyond the visual aesthetics, something that causes people to reflect and make their own personal interpretations.”

All of the selected posters in the exhibition were personal but accessible in how colour, style and narrative are used to communicate notions of memory.

One poster by designer Hala Al Afsaa entitled Alo? Alo? is a close-up illustration of a landline phone cord. Illustrated in dark green against a lime green background, the cord is coiled in a way that's reminiscent of Arabic text, with dialogue written within it.

Another poster by Mezna Suwaidan, titled Are We Still Having Fun?, is a depiction of a childhood play through exaggerated sizes of toys and the figure entrapped with a doll house.

(Mahbuba) Folk Tattoos by Toka Assal is a stunning design that explores folk tales, while Come in, it Wild by Waleed Abodouh Mohamed is an endearing illustration of an old school bus.

The other chosen designers include duo Adnan Arif and Lena Kassicieh; Dana Al Sheyyab; Hessa Naser Alkhanji; Kanaka Raghavan; Mahynour Sawa; Sarah Khorbtli; and Shoug Abdullah Almutairi.

The jury who selected the final designs was comprised of creative professionals across a number of disciplines. They include Palestinian architects Elias and Yousef Anastas; co-founder of Dubai-based art gallery The Third Line Sunny Rahbar; multidisciplinary designer and art director Shamma Buhazza; multidisciplinary designer and Winner of Tasmeem’s second edition Mohammed Ameer; and Abu Dhabi based artist Christopher Joshua Benton.

The exhibition is on display at ICD Brookfield Place until August 30