Exploring the Spice Route with Mirzam, Dubai based chocolate makers

Mirzam Chocolate Makers is a Dubai based company that has a deep respect and appreciation for art and artists. Their product labels are adorned with the printed artworks painted by selected artists from around the world on specific themes.

At the launch of Mirzam's spice route collection they offered me to create artworks that explore the aroma of the spices that were a part of Spice Route, some of these spices they had used in the collection.

The spice route involved historical civilisations in Asia, Northeast Africa and Europe. Spices such as cinnamon, cassia, cardamom, ginger, pepper, nutmeg, star anise, clove and turmeric were known and used in antiquity and traded in the Eastern World.

Mirzam's spice route collection is based on the following flavours:
Halwa (rose, saffron, pistachio and almond)
Aseeda (caramelised white chocolate with cardamom)
Sea Salt (a sprinkle of Maldon organic salt flakes)
Malay (lemongrass, ginger, coconut and chilli infusion)

The list of spices above gave me the inspiration for the colours for the artwork. The artworks are based on the traditional Islamic geometric patterns and the floral biomorphs that emphasise and highlight the importance of Levant and Arab traders in the spice trade.