Episode 4: The Mastery of Craft and the Healing Expression of Art
Although he studied visual communication as an undergrad at the American University of Sharjah, Mohammed Al Shaibani (Momo) knew that comics were his passion. So his family sold their house and moved into his Grandfather's house so Momo could attend the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) where he would earn an MFA in Sequential Art (Comics). Young and highly energetic, Momo nevertheless classifies himself as a connoisseur of craft. He strives to excel in illustration and story-telling, the marriage of which drives the craft of the comic arts. For him, art involves the "mastery of expression"—image and text—telling a story through both.
Momo is part of a vibrant art scene in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, but he sees the small Emirate of Sharjah as producing some of the strongest expressions of Emirati art. For his part, Momo delves into his personal story—compulsory military service (a leveling factor for Emiratis), the death of his grandfather, a crush on a woman—and finds himself turning to art to express and heal.
Art in the UAE, like that in other parts of the world, creates both dissonance and consonance, for the artist who makes it and for its viewers.
Mohammad (Momo) Al Shaibani
Momo received his Bachelor of Science in Graphic Design from the American University of Sharjah and his Masters of Fine Arts in Sequential Art from the Savannah College of Art and Design.
He works traditionally, using any tool that provides an ink line. He has exhibited with Fn Design in their first Fakie Dexhibition and the first Project MEGA Exhibition. He’s also contributed to Amor, A Magazine of Random with his recreation of Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns cover, and has been published nationally (Corniche) and internationally (US and Lebanon).
Momo also took part in The Salama bint Hamdan Emerging Artista Fellowship (SEAF); he resides in Dubai where his drawing time is divided between finishing pieces and chasing his nieces for his materials.
Illustrations courtesy of the artist
