The Rise of Emirati Manga: Exploring Luffy X Lufti in Dubai

Opening December 12, 2024: The exhibition bridges Japanese manga and UAE culture, offering a window into Abdulla’s creative world, filled with purity, humor, and limitless imagination

Mestaria Gallery announces its upcoming exhibition, “LUFFY X LUTFI: EMIRATI MANGA,” featuring the remarkable Emirati artist Abdulla Lutfi. From 12 December 2024 to 2 January 2025, the exhibition bridges Japanese manga and UAE culture, offering a window into Abdulla’s creative world, filled with purity, humor, and limitless imagination.

Abdulla began his artistic journey in 2010, quickly establishing a distinctive black-and-white style that reflects his unique perspective as an artist on the autism spectrum. His art is characterized by bold line drawings and a unique ability to find humor and irony in everyday life. Deeply influenced by the 90s and early 2000s Japanese anime and manga, Abdulla’s artwork draws from the storytelling techniques of Japanese manga while offering a never-before-seen-before fusion of culture and everyday life of the UAE. His illustrations provide insightful observations of Emirati traditions, iconic landmarks, and daily interactions, offering a glimpse into his candid view of the world. Abdulla’s specific choice of a monochrome palette is to keep true to the nostalgic essence he feels through drawing; he explains, “I am inspired by black and white as it is reminiscent of old traditional comic books.” 

Describing himself as artistic and pure, Abdulla’s art offers a window of his unfiltered expression of cultural fusion and unique creativity. Each piece invites viewers to explore layers of comical detail, transforming ordinary moments into entertaining narratives. His ultimate goal is to make people smile and create moments of shared understanding and cultural synergy.

LUFFY X LUTFI: EMIRATI MANGA Blends Japanese manga and Emirati culture, creating a unique artistic style inspired by Abdulla’s childhood love for anime, notably the globally recognized Japanese manga series ‘One Piece’. Abdulla reimagines Luffy, the iconic protagonist wearing the ‘kandora’, where he becomes a symbol of cultural fusion and universal heroism. This depiction highlights themes of resilience, courage, and the belief that there is a hero in everyone. Along with Luffy, other ‘One Piece’ characters are portrayed against the backdrop of Dubai’s iconic skyline as visitors to the UAE, imagining their adventures in the local cultural and urban landscapes, where he also creates the dialogue using a modern blend of Arabic and English dialect, using words like ‘Batal,’ which means hero in Arabic. Through this exhibition, Abdulla pays homage to his love for anime and embraces the unifying power of art, storytelling, and cultural fusion.

Mestaria Gallery invites audiences to the world of Abdulla Lutfi. LUFFY X LUTF promises fun, creativity, and identity. Stepping into a space where cultures converge, heroes emerge, and every detail unfolds a story. Visitors will also experience Abdulla’s artwork brought to life through dynamic animation for the first time.

Exhibition details:

Exhibition: “LUFFY X LUTFI: EMIRATI MANGA” by Abdulla Lutfi

Dates: 12 December 2024 to 2 January 2025 

Location: Mestaria Gallery Alserkal Avenue, Dubai

Timings: Open daily from 10am-7pm