Art

Street
spirit
Georgina Wilson-Powell
hits the studio of artist UBIQ
to discover what’s behind the
detailed layering of his work

I
’m not a street artist. I’m an inspired-by-the-
street artist,” says UBIQ. This young Indian
artist has a good point. Dubai is not a city
known for its underground street art in the
w./review/07.08.2009/ Photos: Bernard Testa

same manner that many other cosmopolitan

cities are. Its artists at work in this field are more
commonly known as muralists, due to the fact that
most of their work is either commissioned by cor-
porations looking to inject a sense of youth culture
into their brands, or entertained by the more cutting
edge arts spaces in town such as the JamJar Gallery.
It’s in these interior spaces that most ‘street’ art in

w./review/07.08.2009
Dubai is created.
A burgeoning part of the arts world elsewhere,
street art — a combination of drawing, graffiti, sten-
cilling and even stickers — has captured the imagi-

48 49
 Art
nation of many young people, who
feel it offers more of a voice they
can identify with than traditional
art forms. It has a universality that
transcends upbringing, national-
ity and religion, often combining
pop culture and visual references
with more underlying political or
personal statements. Once seen as
anti-establishment, street art now
shares public gallery space with
many other previously left wing
art movements such as surrealism
w./review/07.08.2009/ Photos: Bernard Testa
or modernism.
UBIQ has another word for him-
self. Graphillustist (graphic de-
signer / illustrator / artist). Brought
up on a mix of cultures and having
lived in Dubai for a large part of his
life, including the last four years;
conversely his work is made up
solely from marker pens.
“I love working with markers,
but it came from the cost factor! In
Dubai, decent spray paint is really
hard to find and really expensive.
50
I didn’t have any money so I used
cheap markers, it’s amazing what
you can do with them. People are
always surprised when they find
out all I’ve used is markers.”
UBIQ is always doodling, always
drawing, and it’s these doodles
that form the basis of his work
which is often drawn straight onto
bits of wood that he has found. The
materials he works with give him a
unique appeal and also make him
as valid a Dubai artist as anyone
else — his work is the direct result
of his local surroundings.
“I wouldn’t say I’m an Indian art-
ist for instance,” he says. “My work
is about me and there are a lot of
influences that go into making me
who I am, from Dali to Banksy.”
Holed up in a small studio space
w./review/07.08.2009
carved out from his dad’s ware-
house in Sharjah, UBIQ draws
constantly. It’s pretty remote com-
pared to the centre of Dubai, but
it suits him. “I’m here all the time
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 Art Etcetera

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30 31 Last Week's answers

32 33 ACROSS: 1, Accede 5, Handle 8, Breather 9,

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working, I don’t stop. But I am al-
ways online, always on the net, al-
ways listening to music...I’m con-
stantly connected.”
His first solo exhibition starts
on August 13 at the JamJar Gallery.
Entitled iamwhatiam, it is a visual
journey of self-exploration that
started when he dropped out of
Sudoku
painting, UBIQ and his brother are
also responsible for the only art Unscramble these four Jumbles, one letter to each square, 4 8
I'm here in my fanzine to have existed in Dubai,
Cliché. Previously monthly, Cliché
to form four ordinary words.
studio all of the was made up of a cleverly folded 2 7 5
time working, I piece of paper, becoming a fanzine
9 2 1
don't stop. But I and poster in one. Like his art, the
form is a result of the unique en-
am always online, vironment here. “You have to have 3 4

THAT SCRAMBLED WORD GAMEby Henri Arnold and Mike Argirion

fashion design university in India.
“It wasn’t for me, I didn’t enjoy it. I
realised I just wanted to draw.”
The show will be made up of 10
new pieces, which are a lot darker
than his previous work — with
masses of layering and intricate
details heralded by gloriously long
and revealing titles (I Was Mind-
ing My Own When Consciousness
Took Over), joined by a 10-day live
art installation. He smiles, “I’m
always on the net,
always listening
to music...I'm con-
stantly connected
tains.” Despite his studio location,
UBIQ is completely submerged in
the local arts scene.
He has collaborated on many
a publishing license for anything
7 4 5 6 2 8
over four pages, so we stuck to one
sheet," UBIQ laughs.
Passionate about all his forms 2 5
of work, UBIQ laments the unfor-
tunate climate for underground 7 1 3
media in Dubai,
“It’s tough because there is no 4 6 1
fanzine or media culture here. If
I did it in any other country I’d 3 9
Now arrange the circled
be hailed as a ‘pirate publisher’ letters to form the surprise
but here I can get fined! Fined for answer, as suggested by the 6 1 5 2 8 3 4 9 7

nervous and excited. I just want different murals around town with what? Spreading good art?” above cartoon. 3 7 4 5 1 9 8 6 2

w./review/07.08.2009
w./review/07.08.2009

Fill in every square in the grid so that

to make a party out of it and make other local artists or people pass- Iamwhatiam is the beginning each row, each column and each of the
8 2 9 4 7 6 3 1 5

sure that everyone who comes ing through. While Brazilian street for UBIQ. It is a verifying state- nine 3x3 squares contains all the digits
2 6 3 8 4 1 7 5 4

down has an awesome visual treat. artist NOVE was in town last ment, a statement of intent. Watch from 1 to 9. Now, see if you can beat
5

9
8

4
7

1
3

7
9

6
2

5
1

2
4

8
6

3
These pieces have been a labour week, he found the time to swing this space for more. Last week answer : TROTH PANSY BEFOUL SCURVY
today’s target time. Solution next week.
7 3 8 9 5 4 6 2 1
of love for me, so I hope it enter- by UBIQ’s studio. Aside from his wknd@khaleejtimes.com Experienced by the chef when the dinersreturned the meals – A SOUR TASTE Target time: 15 minutes 1 5 2 6 3 8 9 7 4

4 9 6 1 2 7 5 3 8
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