From butter cookie tins to Rooh Afza, everyday objects are turned into shared memories.
Dubai: At just 19, Aabidah—better known as Abibi—is already building a body of work that resonates far beyond her years. Working primarily with gouache, the UAE-based artist captures cultural moments and everyday objects, transforming them into pieces that feel both personal and widely relatable.
“I’ve been painting and drawing since I was a little kid, like I think everyone,” she explains. Her journey into art wasn’t entirely straightforward. Abibi initially pursued architecture before realising it wasn’t the right fit.
Around the same time, a university exhibition in Dubai became a turning point. “That’s what really pushed me to start creating original work on canvases,” she says. “And I guess the rest is history.”
Today, her work has reached more than 8 million people online, but for Abibi, it is the stories behind those numbers that matter most.
“One story that really stays with me is when a woman told me my painting What a Pomegranate Asks reminded her of her grandmother,” she says. “She shared that her grandmother used to come every weekend, peel pomegranates, and ask her questions. It’s those kinds of emotional connections that remain with me.”
Living in the UAE has played a key role in shaping her artistic voice.
“There are so many people from different cultures around me, and that naturally inspires my work,” she explains. “I try to capture specific, niche moments that are actually shared across different cultures.”
“The UAE is a remarkable example of unity,” she says. “Through creative spaces, people from different backgrounds come together, inspire one another, and share their work. It’s really amazing to be part of that.”
She also identifies with the UAE’s large community of third-culture kids. “We’re originally from somewhere else, but we call the UAE home,” she says. “It’s really meaningful to represent that experience through my art.”
This idea of shared experience often appears in unexpected ways, including her current work-in-progress inspired by butter cookie tins.
“It’s such a specific yet universal thing,” she says. “Almost every household has a butter cookie tin that doesn’t actually contain cookies—it’s usually filled with sewing supplies. It’s a small, almost silly detail, but so many people relate to it.”
This focus on everyday life runs throughout her work, including pieces inspired by familiar cultural objects like the Rooh Afza bottle and the maang tikka—items that quietly carry memory, identity, and a sense of belonging.
During a recent period of uncertainty, she reflected on the importance of creativity. “It’s times like this when people turn to art,” she says. “Whether it’s movies, music, or fine art, these mediums often provide answers when there aren’t many.”
Despite her growing audience, her proudest moments remain deeply grounded in personal impact. “Every time someone says, ‘I’m not really interested in art, but your painting is something I’d want in my home,’ it means a lot,” she says. “Or when someone tells me I inspired them to start painting again—even my own mom returned to painting after seeing my work.”
At the heart of her practice is a clear sense of purpose: representation.
“I want people to feel seen through my art,” she says. “There are so many misconceptions about Asian and Arab communities in global media. Through my work, I aim to romanticize these cultures while also showing their complexity.”
It’s also why she feels strongly about how art is viewed as a career, particularly within South Asian communities.
“It’s ironic because these cultures are historically known for their art and craftsmanship,” she says. “But today, pursuing art is sometimes seen as less intelligent or less stable.”
For Abibi, that mindset needs to change. “It really hurts to see people being pushed into careers they’re not passionate about in the name of a ‘stable future,’ especially when nothing is truly certain,” she says.
Instead, she advocates for choosing fulfilment in the present. “The idea that art is something you can do later or on the side is something I don’t agree with,” she says. “Why wait for a hypothetical future when you can spend your time now doing what you love?”
Abibi’s work shows that even the smallest, most familiar objects can hold powerful stories. By capturing experiences that are both personal and widely relatable, she creates art that makes people feel seen and represented—while showing that pursuing passion today can be deeply meaningful.
