I am excited to share this awesome conversation I had with Kristel on Zoom. Based in Dubai since 2007, Kristel is an award-winning contemporary artist who has quickly established herself as the rising star of the Middle Eastern art world.

Recognized for her dynamic patterns and expressive colours, Kristel’s artwork consists of the revolutionary creation of photographic imagery using oil, acrylic, and giclée printmaking mediums to depict complex emotions and also portray the human condition. Her artistic process involves creating stencil-like drawings that are combined with modern mixed media lines to form multi-layered fantasy paintings.

I asked Kristel which artist influenced her the most. She is most inspired by the French artist Henri Matisse, famous for his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. Kristel’s work reflects the mastery of the expressive language of resplendent colours and digital drawing.

Kristel is also the first female artist from the Middle East to launch an NFT tokenized art series, which will only be available as an NFT. 13 Artworks from the series called Beauty in Diversity & DeFi are already sold out on the platform Foundation.App. She will also be offering an NFT for each commission or original paintings going forward which collectors can use as proof of ownership and certification of authenticity (immutable provenance).

Kristel’s work adorns walls in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Taipei, Tokyo, Delhi, Texas, New York as well as in Sydney, Zurich, Istanbul, Vancouver, Paris, Amsterdam, Venice, and across the Middle East. She has received high acclaim in UAE as well, notably winning the UAE Resident Artist Award at the 2018 World Art Dubai for her collection, Beauty in Diversity. Recently, Kristel was recognized by Dubai government for her contribution in promoting the art and cultural scene in the Emirates and she has been rewarded with a ‘Golden’ visa.

As a wife and mother of two, Kristel is an avid traveler who finds inspiration in exploring cities, art museums, and galleries. She dedicates her mornings to creating art in her studio, while her afternoons and evenings are spent with her family.

Kristel currently works on her art from her studio in Dubai and her gallery is located at Gate Avenue, Dubai International Financial Centre.

Kristel’s latest art exhibition entitled, ‘PSYCHOMACHIA’ is on display at Gate Avenue gallery till the end of July 2021. Psychomachia theme has its origins in Latin and eulogizes the battle of good over evil.

For art aficionados, this is a must-attend event. Please add to your calendar and see you there!

Penned by Sharad Agarwal