Q&A: Dubai muralist Dina Saadi
Dina Saadi is a super talented artist and wall muralist based in Dubai. With some great work to her name already, it’s exciting to hear that she plans to go large in the future by upscaling the size of her art. Hype Magazine catches up with her…
Where are you from and why did you come to Dubai? I’m half Syrian and half Russian, but I grew up in Syria. I moved to Dubai when I was offered a job as an art director for a company here in 2012.
Where do you call home? I’m always expected to say Syria but I consider the whole planet my home. I don’t believe in borders or nationalities, and I really wish there were no passports. I’m a free spirit who likes to travel and experience a new home every day. Home to me is about the people not just the places, and the people I love are spread all around the world at the moment due to the crises happening in Syria.
What inspires your art? Everything! The people I meet and the places I visit when I travel, and all the inspiring artistic souls I come across.
Dina with one of her works in San Francisco
Favourite medium? Walls at this stage of my artistic journey, and I also like doing mixed media on canvas.
If you could paint any surface what would it be? The full wall of a building. It could be smooth cement or any other material. I also like drawing on wooden surfaces and canvas.
Largest piece you have ever painted? A wall that was around nine metres by five metres in the American University, Cairo.
Artists you most admire in Dubai? The number of inspiring artists in Dubai is rapidly growing day by day, but I love the work of Ruben Sanchez [below] with his unique style and colours.
If you weren’t an artist what would you be? An actress. I love acting and theatre.
Where do you want your creative journey to take you? My short term goals is to have a full building mural – 10m x 20m – in Dubai or anywhere else, but in ten years I would love to be at a point in my career where I’ll have done huge murals in many places all around the globe. Also, I’d love to have many travel and art vlogs on my YouTube channel.
Which global artists do you admire? So many I can’t even count, but I love Tristan Eaton’s work; it’s breathtaking.
A work by Dina in Cairo
What’s with the pink hair? I like vibrant colours and I tried many different hair dyes – blue, turquoise, purple – but when I was trying one bright red it ended up looking pink on my hair for some reason so I just decided to leave it because I liked it. Since then it’s become my favourite colour. I don’t feel like myself anymore when I change it so I think I’m keeping it.
Check in with Dina at dinasaadi.com or instagram.com/dinasaadi
