Who Created the Cloud With X Eyes? Meet Marwan Shakarchi

by Alexandra Mansilla

Who Created the Cloud With X Eyes? Meet Marwan Shakarchi

21 Jun 2024

The cloud character with X eyes that you have likely seen around has an interesting backstory. It wasn't created on a whim; it has its own history, just like the artist behind it — Marwan Shakarchi (or Myneandyours). We had a chat with him about what was before the cloud, how it evolved from 2D to 3D, and what is coming next.

— Marwan, I believe parents play a huge role in shaping our journeys. Can you tell me about yours? Who are they, and what is their story?

— Oh, they have a great story. You know, they came from Iraq and immigrated to London in the UK in the early 1980s when they were really young, right before the war. They lived in Baghdad at a time that was both beautiful and difficult. It was tough to live under Saddam's reign, but the reason I say “beautiful” is to compare it to what Baghdad is now.

When the Americans invaded, there is always this question: Was it better under a dictatorship or after he was gone and the Americans invaded? Well, the answer is quite obvious. It was better back then. Baghdad was the pinnacle of civilisation and was destroyed. My parents recognised it early on and left in the early 80s to give us an opportunity for a future. All my cousins who stayed in Baghdad had a very different life compared to the opportunities my brother, sister, and I had.

It was my dad who was being enlisted in the army. He realised, while in the queue, that if he went through with it, his life would be over. So, he ran away. Then he went to get my mum. She was just a kid, around 18 or 19 years old, with orange curly hair. They were in love, but they weren't married or anything; they were just kids.

At the time, my grandfather was in prison because he worked for an American company. That gave the government justification to imprison him. He used to work for IBM and was imprisoned for about 10 years just because of that. That was his crime.

So, my dad picked up my mum and went to the prison to tell my grandfather, "We need to go." My grandfather said, "I get it. Go." Then there is another crazy story about how they got on the plane because we have Iranian heritage, and it was difficult to leave the country because of that. He managed to fiddle with papers and things like that, and they got on the plane and left. They came to London, where my other grandmother was living at the time and stayed with her. That is how my parents came to the UK. They are superstars because of the journey they went through. We were born in the UK and had the opportunity to be who we are and have freedom.

My parents are very liberal people. They have a son who is an artist, another son who is an academic, and a daughter who is a food superstar — chef, cook, food photographer, everything involved in the food community back in the UK. They wanted us to explore what we wanted to do. My dad built an empire in the UK, a massive family business, with the intention that his kids would take it over. But all of us chose different paths.

— What was that business?

— It was a food business. I tried working in it for four or five years after university, and it was great, but my calling was somewhere else. I felt there was something else I needed to do, which led me to Dubai. I felt like I needed to leave London and make a drastic change to delve into the unknown. Being an artist is like diving into the unknown; you have no idea how things will work out.

The one question my dad asked me before I left was, "So, what's your business plan?" I replied, "What business plan? What are you talking about? I have got to go and try to figure out how to be an artist. I don't know what that means, but I am going to do it."

At the end of 2013, Dubai was quite new to public murals, street art, and all that stuff I was into back when I was younger. The scene was still in its infancy; there wasn't much of it around, and not many people were doing it. They were still catching up. It was an exciting time because, in their catch-up phase, they were very open to entertaining new ideas, which Dubai is renowned for.

Back then, it felt like we were back in New York in the early eighties during the rise of graffiti and subway culture. The voice of the voiceless was coming out and being exhibited. It was pioneering and culturally transformative, leading the way for everything we know today in terms of graffiti and street art. Dubai felt like a similar thing at that time.

That was a time when brands, entities, and individuals saw the value of public art and how it can create a dialogue and foster conversation. Art became a business and an industry.

— Once, you said that everything you do now is inspired by punk music. Do you remember what bands you listened to in your childhood or your teens? What were your favourites during that period?

— Of course. The first CD I ever got when my dad could finally afford to buy me a CD player was back in '94. It was the album "Smash" by The Offspring. We were in Orlando, Florida; our parents had taken us to Disney World. I remember asking my dad, "Hey, can I get a CD?" and he was like, "Sure, let's go buy one."

I even remember walking into this little store in Orlando. I didn't know the band's name, so I walked up to the guy and said, "Hey, do you know this song that goes like this?" He immediately recognised it and said, "Oh yeah, come with me. This is The Offspring's 'Smash.'" We bought that CD and a CD player and then drove from Orlando to Houston, Texas, because my cousins lived there. That was a 24-hour drive, and I had one CD that was 42 minutes long. So for 24 hours, I had that CD on repeat. By the end of it, I was brainwashed. I was immersed in "Smash", and it changed everything for me. It set me on the course for where I am today.

That experience spurred my interest in other bands, probably most notably other Californian bands like Pennywise and AFI. Then, Social Distortion, Dead Kennedys, and the origins of punk like The Clash, the Sex Pistols and Pink Floyd (they brought their own essence to punk music).

What I always say about music is that if you like it the first time you hear it, you are not going to like it in a couple of months. That is fine, but if something takes you some time to understand, then it will probably last forever. I started to understand the music more as I matured. I didn't get into Pink Floyd until my mid-20s, and it probably took me three years to even understand what they were doing.

So what is great about The Offspring is that in '94, I got their first album. In '99, they released "Americana," which was also a pivotal album for me in terms of artwork. And in 2023, I got to work on artwork for The Offspring. So it was a full circle for me. After listening to them for 30 years, I ended up working for them. It was a powerful cycle.

Deadbeat. Photo: Marwan Shakarchi

— So, clouds! Everything began with a sticker, as I understood. It was just an easy way for you to cheer yourself up. You put a sticker on your way to work. But why did you choose that face?

— I never really talked about this, but prior to the cloud, I had another character. I used to work at a record store on weekends during university, and after working all day, I would go home and always draw this character. He was called Deadbeat. He had Xs for eyes and a side parting, and he was sad. He looked like a typical businessman on the train.

When I used to take the train during rush hour, I would see everyone looking exhausted, like they hated their lives. This was an assumption on my part; maybe they didn't hate their lives, maybe they were just tired. But as a young person, I wondered if these people were doing what they wanted to do. Why did everyone look so miserable? I felt like their souls weren't in their eyes; there was nothing there, just deadness.

But also, maybe it was a reflection of me. After university, I worked and was miserable for four or five years. So, I decided to create a character with no eyes, using Xs to represent that idea.

I liked the concept, and it eventually evolved into the cloud character. It has just become what it is now, but people do question it. They ask, "Is it a dead cloud or a happy cloud? What is it?" Different people have different interpretations. Some see it as a miserable-looking cloud, while others think it is cute and fluffy and love it. I have developed this idea that it is a reflection of you and how you feel when you are looking at it. What is going on inside you is reflected in this character. That is where it came from.

— Do you remember your first collaboration? What was it?

— That was with Parmigiani, a Swiss watchmaker, around 2014 or 2015. It was great also because it was the first time I got paid good money for doing something I loved. You know, when you start, you are unsure if you can make money from your passion, and this was the first time I received a check that made me realise, "Okay, there's something here."

Parmigiani was a great client to work with. We painted a couple of murals, they had just launched their Dubai office, and we did a release event for that, including some prints and packaging. I made a very good friend there who used to work for Parmigiani and remains a close friend to this day. She feels like family to me because of what we went through together back then. I look back on that experience with fond memories, and it was a great starting point for my career.

Parmigiani x @myneandyours. Photo: Marwan Shakarchi

— Now, Fred Perry! I love this collab so much. How did it happen?

— They got in touch and wanted to do something. Coming from the UK, I am very familiar with Fred Perry. I wore their clothes a lot in my younger days. It is quite synonymous with London; you see it everywhere. So, when they approached me, it was a no-brainer. Of course, I wanted to do something interesting with them. They were awesome in every respect. I have worked with a lot of brands over time, and these guys were amazing. Everything was a yes. They asked, "What do you want to do? How do you want to do it? What do you want this to look like? How do you want to release it?" They didn't try to control anything. I had complete freedom in every respect, and all they did was support me and provide what I needed to create something strong.

I tried to make it resonate with both the Fred Perry demographic and my own. You don't want to create something that doesn't make sense. There has to be synergy. If I covered their shirts with bold graphics, it wouldn't be Fred Perry. Fred Perry is very clean and neat, and my work is also the same — clean, neat, somewhat rigid, and very defined. It made sense for us to work together in that respect. Sometimes, the simplest designs are the most difficult to achieve, but we made it work.

Fred Perry x @myneandyours. Photo: Marwan Shakarchi

It was the first time I built a public sculpture. I had been working on sculptures for the past few years, and this was the first time one was realised. There was a nine-meter cloud that you could walk into to experience the shirts and the collaboration. That was really special, and it seems to have received a great response. Everyone knows and respects Fred Perry as much as I do, so I had a lot of people reach out, saying this was great and made sense. I was very happy with it.

Fred Perry x @myneandyours. Photo: Marwan Shakarchi

— Yeah, it is very cool. You also have the cloud made of steel, named "Cloud 101". Why this name?

— My career has been about doing everything I have done over the past 15 years, but there has always been this thing in my head that I wanted to realise — a sculpture or a 3D version of my work. Taking things from 2D to 3D has been very difficult for me because my mind is focused on 2D. Realising it in this 3D form took me around three years.

It felt like the next chapter. I am not saying I have achieved everything I wanted or that I have reached some pinnacle. It just felt like this was a new beginning. It felt like stepping a bit further outside the boundaries. A hundred per cent is the max, and it kind of felt like I had managed to get past what was in my head. So, this is 101 now.

Cloud 101. Photo: Marwan Shakarchi

— What should we expect from you in the near future?

— I like to keep things as surprises. As an artist, I am always building new work and exploring new forms of expression. I moved into a new studio earlier this year, which has brought a breath of fresh air and a place to explore.

I am getting the opportunity to work on new canvases, continue with sculptures, and do a lot of design work, which I always enjoy. I also do a lot of digital work — illustrations, posters, work for musicians, that kind of stuff. The work I have done for musicians over the past few years has been some of the most fun I have ever had. I like to keep exploring that industry because, as we have discussed, everything for me comes from music and skateboarding.

by Alexandra Mansilla