Maher Diab

Born in 1980 in Lebanon, Maher Diab graduated from the Lebanese University of Fine Arts at the age of 23. Upon graduation, he moved to the United Arab Emirates where he joined Team Young & Rubicam, a leading advertising agency, to work as a graphic designer. Spending almost three years with the agency, he was introduced to various visual approaches from photomontage and layout design to digital illustration, which is his most recent station. He is currently a Senior Illustrator. Maher's affinity for digital illustration fostered, as it was, a bridge between his fine art passion and digital interest.

"I Love Beirut"

In my work, I wanted to portray a sad reality, but unlike the pessimistic mask that regular news portrayals cast on events. Instead, a naïve atmosphere envelops the colorful compositions, clustered with cliché heart shapes and a city's skyline.

In the daylight, unknown sources of evil destroy the city, while at night, the transmigration of the inhabitant's souls decorates the skies with their crystal-glittering blood droplets, reflecting innocence and preciousness.

My main message is that I am not convinced with the ideology behind collectiveness; in other words, I strictly believe that it is the individual interests of the inhabitants, compiled together, that preserves the aura of happiness in one's country.