Al Wasl

Lonac’s mural on Al Wasl Road presents Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum looking across Dubai’s skyline. Completed through SAN Projects in 2022, the work places a portrait within the city it depicts, with the palm-lined road and surrounding buildings forming part of the viewer’s encounter.

The Croatian artist’s photorealistic approach gives particular attention to the face and the direction of the gaze. Architectural imagery connects the portrait with Dubai’s development and ambitions, while the mural’s scale allows a scene normally associated with a photograph to occupy a public wall.

The project continues SAN Projects’ work with artists on commissions that respond to the character of a particular site. Here, portraiture and the city are held together in one composition, seen by people moving through Al Wasl as part of daily life.