Now it's snowing in Abu Dhabi: artist's striking series reimagines wintry emirate

Jyo John Mulloor has made headlines with his works recreating the UAE's cities in imaginary settings

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque blanketed in snow as part of digital artist Jyo John Mulloor's ongoing series. All photos: Jyo John Mulloor

After Dubai, artist Jyo John Mulloor has reimagined Abu Dhabi as a snow covered winter wonderland in an ongoing photo series.

The Adnoc building.

Louvre Abu Dhabi.

Mandarin Oriental, Emirates Palace.

Through a series of 11 striking photos, Mulloor blankets Abu Dhabi landmarks in white — from the Emirates Palace, to Louvre Abu Dhabi, Qasr Al Watan and the circular Aldar Headquarters in Al Raha.

Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Yas Island.

Mulloor hopes his images of snow in the UAE will help keep residents cool during soaring summer temperatures.

Aldar Headquarters in Al Raha.

Qasr Al Watan.

The Abu Dhabi series took Mulloor five weeks to complete.

Dubai resident and digital artist Jyo John Mulloor is at it again. After reimagining the city of Dubai covered in snow and then with lush greenery in two separate art series, he's now worked his magic on Abu Dhabi.

On Monday, Mulloor took to Instagram to share snippets of his latest project, which has taken him five weeks to complete. Through a series of 11 striking photos, Mulloor blankets Abu Dhabi landmarks in white — from the Emirates Palace, to Louvre Abu Dhabi, Qasr Al Watan and the circular Aldar Headquarters in Al Raha.

"I was getting such good responses for my snow and bloom series that I thought, 'Why only Dubai? Let it snow in the whole UAE'," Mulloor tells The National.

Scroll through the gallery above for pictures of Abu Dhabi landmarks covered in snow

He hopes images of snow in the UAE will help keep residents cool during soaring summer temperatures. Humidity levels have recently topped 90 per cent and were even forecast to hit 100 per cent in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in mid-June by the National Centre of Meteorology.

"I know it's never going to happen. But at least in our heart we can let it snow," he says.

Mulloor, who has lived in Dubai for 18 years, said he's only travelled to the UAE capital a few times and was struck by the city's beauty when he visited to take pictures of landmarks for this project.

"Once I started work, I felt like Abu Dhabi was even more gorgeous when it snows. I really enjoyed while working on this project," he says.

In March, the artist made headlines with his impressive work showing Dubai landmarks covered in snow.

He followed it up with a viral series the following month, this time reimagining the emirate full of greenery, a stark contrast from the vast desert scenes usually associated with Dubai and the rest of the UAE.

Now, Mulloor says he's got plans to continue both series to cover all seven emirates.

He says his series are all themed after the colours of UAE's flag — the green for his #LetItBloom series, the white for #LetItSnow and the red for #LetsHopeOn2Mars, an ode to the country's Mars mission. The artist is also working on another series inspired by the colour black, which he says will be revealed soon.

Mulloor, who is from Kerala in India, also has his eyes on the Metaverse and wants to create a UAE colony in Mars, something he says is closer to reality than ever.

"Nobody has ever done a country colony in the Metaverse and this will be my way of supporting the UAE's vision," he says.

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