• Six month-long collaboration concludes as the sixth and final artist showcases designs on a talabat rider’s helmet during the last month of Expo 2020, the world’s greatest show, as part of an initiative to empower the local arts scene.
  • Under the theme #CreativeCravings, the initiative celebrated innovation and the culinary arts scene in Dubai.
  • Helmets were chosen as a symbol of appreciation for delivery riders in the UAE and across the world, with designs being inspired by the UAE’s emphasis on technology and the future.
  • The collaboration comes as part of Dubai Culture and talabat’s long-standing partnership 

United Arab Emirates: Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), the official culture supporter of Expo 2020 Dubai, and talabat, the official food delivery partner for the global event, have officially wrapped up their collaboration, which saw six local young artists showcase their creativity with their unique helmet designs at Expo 2020 Dubai.

Displayed at the ‘talabat Kitchen’ in the Sustainability District, the artists, who are all UAE-based, explored their creativity as part of the #CreativeCravings initiative, which invited local artists to adorn talabat riders’ helmets with artistic interpretations of culinary arts and innovation. The purpose was to promote the cultural scene and present young talents with a creative outlet at Expo 2020 Dubai.

As part of this initiative, one artist was hosted every month at the ‘talabat Kitchen.’ The helmets were chosen to symbolise appreciation for delivery riders in the UAE and across the world. While the initiative aimed to foster the local arts scene and empower young artists, it also presented an opportunity for them to creatively depict the UAE’s ambition towards innovation and technological advancements. The initiative between Dubai Culture and talabat aimed to foster the culinary arts scene at Expo 2020 Dubai and provide an outlet to highlight the connection between art, food, and technology.

The UAE-based artists included Evgenia Silvina, Ella Orencillo, Khawla Salman, Mahmood Al Abbadi, Diaa Allam, and Gary Yong. Collectively, their helmet artworks featured an array of designs, including portraits of people, Arabic calligraphy, retro art and motifs that paid homage to the UAE, and illustrations that focused on culinary arts and technology’s role in transforming the food delivery sector.

Shaima Rashed Al Suwaidi, Director of Marketing & Corporate Communication Department at Dubai Culture, commented: “Art and culture are at their best when they reflect the spirit of the community which they serve. Collaborating with talabat and these six artists was an exceptionally rewarding experience that promoted togetherness and honoured delivery riders. We sought to highlight Dubai’s culinary scene through art and culture to produce artistic paintings that speak the language of beauty and humanity and look forward to continuously working with and empowering talents from across the UAE to grant them a platform to express their creativity and make their art accessible for everyone, everywhere.”

Commenting on the success of the #CreativeCravings initiative, Sonia Lekhal, Chief Marketing Officer at talabat, said: “It’s been a privilege to be part of nurturing the arts and culture scene at Expo 2020 Dubai from its outset by giving young homegrown talents the opportunity to showcase their unique designs on our riders’ helmets at our’ talabat Kitchen,’ together with Dubai Culture.

She continued: “Many of the artists’ illustrations drew inspiration from a variety of themes, ranging from futuristic visions of technology to innovation in food delivery in the UAE and cultural celebrations. We were delighted to have welcomed many visitors to our two-storey ‘talabat Kitchen’ to view the collection.”

The painted helmets collection will be displayed in the ‘talabat Kitchen’ until Thursday, 31 March.

-Ends-

About the artists from the #CreativeCravings initiative:

Evgenia Silvina is a multidisciplinary artist and film art director, who works with themes of heritage, tribal minorities, culture and people portraits. Her piece represents the diverse cultural melting pot that can be explored at Expo 2020 Dubai – more specifically, taking inspiration from the heritage of tribal culture.

Ella Orencillo, a multidisciplinary artist and founder of Craftology by Ella Orencill, has over 20 years of experience doing arts on different surfaces. She is known for her use of distinct vivid colours with a cross of pop-surrealism. Inspired by an exhilarating feeling of hearing the bell ring when your delivery arrives, the playful ketchup and mustard aims to illustrate the bliss of taking your first bite of the food you ordered, while the background pays homage to the UAE on its Jubilee and the “Sadu” pattern as an honour to the roots and past of the UAE.

Khawla Salman is an abstract artist and videographer. Her art pieces depict elements of mystery, riddles and storytelling that surpass lines, shapes and colours. Her work is inspired by retro art and features her own personality - a combination of rebellious and soft. The illustration focuses on technology and how it is impacting the food-delivery sector, which is aligned with the UAE’s ambition towards innovation and technological advancements.

Mahmood Al Abbadi is a visual arts, calligraphy, sculpture, and design artist with over 17 years of experience. He aims to show the beauty of Arabic calligraphy through his artwork, which is inspired by the rich culture and heritage of the UAE and its contemporary present. His artwork is inspired by the innovation that talabat introduced to the sector as the region’s leading online delivery platform, which is in line with the UAE’s vision towards innovation across all fields.

Diaa Allam is a calligrapher, muralist, and live-art performer. He is the founder of ‘Na7t Designs,’ the first Emirati brand for Arabic calligraphy fashion and lifestyle, is the curator of the ‘Ajman Murals Project,’ and the winner of Al Dar Arabic Calligraphy Art Competition. Diaa participated in two Guinness World Record graffiti events. Diaa selected the words ‘Future, Culture, Creativity,’ which he portrayed in his distinctive calligraphy style on the helmet. He took inspiration from the futuristic vision of the UAE towards innovation, technology and arts and culture, which was reflected at Expo 2020 Dubai and in the talabat Kitchen.

Gary Yong, also known as Enforce One, is a multi-disciplinary artist who primarily covers realism, portraits and abstract work. Yong had taken part in two winning Guinness World Records for Longest Graffiti Scroll in 2014/2015 in Dubai and Largest Glow in the Dark Artwork in 2016/2017 in Ras Al Khaimah. His artwork is inspired by delivery drivers and the important role they continue to play in the community. He selected falcon wings as a main theme — a symbol associated with agility, ascension, determination, aspiration, focus, grace, mental speed and power, freedom, swiftness, purpose and movement.

About Dubai Arts & Culture Authority

On 8th March 2008, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, launched Dubai Culture & Arts Authority to be the custodian of Dubai’s cultural and creative sector and help define it at the local and global levels, enabling and developing these sectors to consolidate the emirate’s position as an active global centre for creativity.

Under the leadership of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture, the Authority is committed to enriching Dubai’s cultural scene based on the UAE’s heritage, and is building bridges of constructive dialogue between various cultures to enhance Dubai’s position as a global centre for culture, an incubator for creativity, and a thriving hub for talent.

The Authority is committed to reviving Dubai’s history and highlighting its contemporary cultural fabric through a series of innovative cultural initiatives, events and projects, and the cultural and heritage assets it sponsors, including the management of 5 of the city’s notable heritage monuments, 6 museums, and 9 Dubai Public Library branches.

Dubai Culture is developing regulatory frameworks for Dubai’s cultural and creative sectors based on the priorities of its strategic roadmap 2020 – 2026 and the enablers that seek to support talents and stimulate active participation from society members. The aim is to create an ecosystem that stimulates creative industries and reinforces Dubai’s position as a global cultural destination, and its cultural responsibility of safeguarding Dubai’s tangible and intangible cultural heritage.

About talabat

When you think of food delivery in the MENA region, we’d be pretty surprised if talabat didn’t pop into your mind first! Since delivering our first order in Kuwait in 2004, we’ve grown quite a lot over the past 18 years.

Today, we deliver hundreds of millions of food orders, grocery items and other products per year to our customers in nine countries throughout the region. Our food delivery business works with well over 25,000 brands and almost 50,000 branches, while our q-commerce concept, talabat mart, now delivers groceries to customers in Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the UAE in 30 minutes or less!

Our customers, partners, people, and riders, as well as the communities in which we operate, are at the heart of what we do. In 2021 alone, we facilitated the donation of over 900,000 meals to those in need and donated over 2.2 million dollars to charity with the help of our partners and customers. talabat is part of Delivery Hero, the global leader in online food delivery and q-commerce.