This Screenprinting Studio in Dubai is Anti-Hype Incarnate

There’s a particular serenity found in the simple act of creating—especially when it involves the tactile, deliberate motion of a hand pressing ink onto fabric, a brush tracing its path with every stroke. It’s a stark contrast to the digital frenzy that dominates much of today’s creative world, where algorithms dictate trends and tools streamline expression. But Ahmad Makary - the Lebanese creative behind Dubai’s iconic screenprinting studio The Workshop DXB - isn’t one to be swept away by convenience. His world of screenprinting is one of slow, purposeful dedication.

With a passion for music and visual aesthetics, Ahmad Makary has spent his life taking dips in various artistic fields. He first developed this spirit of experimentation in Beirut’s Hamra district, a crumbling labyrinth of skate parks, metal bands and street art in the late 2000s. After studying design, he fell into tattooing—a creative outlet that paid better than freelance gigs—and co-founded The Workshop in 2010.

“When we first started, the plan was to open a DYI carpentry shop, and hence the name but things quickly shifted. We found screenprinting was the perfect medium to merge our creativity with the needs of the music world,” Makary tells SceneNowUAE.

By 2012, it was a refuge for Lebanon’s underground scene, screenprinting band tees. But Beirut’s economic freefall pushed him to Dubai in 2012, where he balanced corporate gigs (first designing mall window displays, then working with various record labels) with nocturnal screenprinting sessions in his studio.

In a city like Dubai, where commercial pressures often threaten creative integrity, Makary has built a business that balances the “bread” of financial survival with the “butter” of thought-provoking, boundary-pushing work. From live printing sessions at events to curating immersive art installations, The Workshop DXB is both a studio and a practice of artistic disruption.

It wasn’t until 2022, after the pandemic and the global lockdown waned, that he took the plunge to fully dedicate himself to his passion. “COVID was a blessing in disguise for me. It gave me the chance to step back and realise what was truly important,” he reflects.

Today, The Workshop DXB is more than just a screenprinting studio—here, screenprinting is an art in itself, one that can also serve as a springboard for more expansive creative endeavours. Makary’s projects extend far beyond the printed page, exploring curatorial work, live collaborations, experimental art installations and hosting educational sessions where novices learn screenprinting basics—a response to those asking, “Why call yourselves a workshop if you’re not workshopping?”

“We work with street artists, sculptors, musicians. We curate experiences,” Makary says.

His philosophy is clear: The Workshop is about pushing boundaries. For example, ‘Resting Sounds’ is a silent music series where bankers, chefs, and artists DJ ambient tracks to shoeless, cross-legged crowds offering a stark contrast to typical party culture. “It’s all about discovering music in a different way.”

“The thing is, we are a little bit anti-social, we are a little bit anti-hype as well,” Makary says. “So we don't do what's trending. We want to be the disruptors at the end of the day.”

Despite the allure of Dubai’s fast-paced commercial landscape, Makary has managed to stay true to his roots. “I’ve had the luxury of a steady income from my day jobs, which allowed me to refuse projects that didn’t align with my values,” he shares. But even as the business side of The Workshop grew, he remained committed to the heart of what he does: creating something that was both meaningful and sustainable.

While his work may revolve around the tactile and the tangible, Makary’s approach to art is deeply philosophical. "I don’t like to frame myself within an identity or box. Every year, my identity changes. I want to keep learning, unlearning and evolving.” This fluidity is reflected in his work, from his shifting curatorial vision to his exploration of new mediums like conductive ink.

The theme of constant evolution is something Makary also sees in his personal life. His ongoing exploration of vulnerability, seen in projects like ‘The Anatomy of Vulnerability’ during the Sikka Art Fair, speaks to his interest in emotional depth and introspection. “It was personal therapy for me, working with artists on topics like isolation and apologising opened up new ways of understanding those feelings.”

Despite all the change, one thing remains constant: The Workshop’s tools remain defiantly analog. “Screenprinting is manual. It’s blood, sweat, and ink under your nails.” Collaborations with street artists and filmmakers often merge analog and digital, like murals printed in glow-in-the-dark ink. “There’s something about the process of screenprinting—the preparation, the layers—that is deeply grounding,” he says. “I’m still learning something new with every project.”

Fifteen years in, The Workshop DXB remains stubbornly unpolished—much like the craft it champions. Screenprinting teaches you to embrace the mess, by layering, smudging, and trying again. That’s how you build something that lasts—in Dubai, Beirut, anywhere.