His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive Emirates Airline & Group today unveiled a specially commissioned art piece named ‘From the Heart of Zayed’.

The art piece, designed and created by Elygraf, a Filipino artist based in Dubai, was commissioned by Emirates Group to pay homage and celebrate the legacy of the late HH Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding father of the United Arab Emirates who continues to inspire present and future generations.  The artwork will be on permanent display in the atrium at Emirates Group Headquarters and is part of a number of initiatives done this year to celebrate the ‘Year of Zayed’.

‘From the Heart of Zayed’ is comprised of three elements. The first element establishes the face of HH Sheikh Zayed, father of the nation, gazing firmly to the future. His golden bisht symbolises honour and nobility and follows the outline of the UAE map, which he led to unite. Dubai is highlighted by Emirates’ aircraft and extensive network that connects the world, all flowing out of his bisht, sending his messages of peace and prosperity.

The art piece used a variety of techniques and materials to portray HH Sheikh Zayed. Elygraf used acrylic paint on stretched canvas and the art piece took him 20 days to complete. Its colour palette was inspired by a spectrum of the earthy tones found throughout the UAE, complemented by the use of gold leaf symbolising the regal embroidery in traditional Emirati bishts.

Elygraf is a well-known local artist living in Dubai for the last ten years who takes inspiration from the architecture and futuristic developments of the UAE. He has conceptualised and been behind numerous artistic works like HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s book cover for ‘The Journey’, along with twelve illustrations of HH Sheikh Zayed and HH Sheikh Mohammed within the book. He was also commissioned to create the UAE Ministry of Education’s 2018 curriculum book covers.