Aysha Al Hemrani is an artist with a cause. She sells purses, pouches and bags, beautifully illustrated with drawings inspired by Emirati heritage, and put together by a special-needs group.
“I don’t like to call it charity,” says the 24-year-old Emirati from Ajman. “It is a proper business venture, where they are my partners and they make amazing high quality bags.”
She has made a name for herself for her caricature drawings, posted on social media under the handle Mnawrah. She has more than 8,500 followers on Instagram. A self-taught artist, the communications-and-media graduate wanted to do something different this year, so reached out to the Ajman Rehabilitation Center for Disabled.
“The centre has a project called Re Use, which produces bags using recycled banners and street ads,” she says. Al Hemrani brought printed material of her drawings; the group did the rest. As well as purses, her pieces are sold as canvases, and anyone who buys from her can pose behind a cartoon face with large eyes and perky lips that has become her trademark. As Mnawrah, she has been posting her work online since 2006.
“I love to draw and reinvent myself and my art,” she says.
Al Hemrani’s popular images are cartoonish reinventions of famous Arab figures and artists, such as Cyrine Abdelnour, and Elissa, who posted Al Hemrani’s caricature of her on Instagram.
One of her most popular latest creations is that of Sheikh Zayed, who she redrew as a black-and-white image, giving him a slight amusing smile, comparable to the Mona Lisa‘s smile.
“I like to draw famous figures I like, in a very unique way, where you get to see them differently and at the same time the art work maintains their dignity and charm,” she says.
