• Premium filtered water brand supporting contemporary Arab artists now available in the region, starting with UAE
  • UAE launch is themed ‘Art Beyond Borders’ with designs from three artists being released in 2021

Dubai, United Arab Emirates – 04 April 2021 – PepsiCo has launched LIFEWTR, its premium filtered water brand in the UAE, with captivating label designs created by contemporary Arab artists. LIFEWTR is a premium hydration offering with pH-balanced purified water, infused with electrolytes for flavor.  

Since launching in the US in 2017, LIFEWTR has been associated with creativity and design, as well as supporting and advancing the work of emerging artists. The theme of LIFEWTR’s UAE launch is ‘Art Beyond Borders’ and showcases the work of three artists – Athier, Basmah Felemban and Ebtisam Abdulaziz – who are influenced by multiple cultures and whose work exemplifies art’s power to transcend boundaries and foster cultural understanding. To help find the talent, mentor them, and set growth opportunities in motion, LIFEWTR turned to Dubai-based cultural strategist and arts consultant Myrna Ayad. The former director of Art Dubai was instrumental in guiding the selection of the artists for the Middle East’s first series.

“The whole LIFEWTR Middle East project has been incredibly rewarding – from theme development and artist shortlist through to each artist’s creative journey and the final execution. LIFEWTR is another canvas of sorts for these artists, and it’s also a novel platform with a different reach, which makes it all the more exciting,” says Myrna Ayad.  

Through their designs, each of these LIFEWTR artists is engaged in a dialogue beyond borders.

Saudi artist Basmah Felemban is based in Jeddah and combines her interests in Islamic art, architecture, and traditional Arabic poetry from the Golden Age of Islam. For her LIFEWTR label, Basmah explored the movement of water and the lunar and solar cycles, integrating the movement of planets, Islamic astrology, science, and poetry.

Basmah says, “A few stars aligned when I was approached by LIFEWTR – I had just graduated with an MA in Islamic and Traditional art in London and returned to my hometown Jeddah after a residency in New York where I had researched colours and water. I felt that LIFEWTR was a chance for me to grow and to create something new and the moon served as my main inspiration for its presence and calmness through the ebb and flow. Working with the curator, the opportunity for dialogue as well as the liberty to experiment were some highlights in this process.” 

With Iraqi origins, a childhood in London and current base in Paris, Athier uses a vibrant range of colors and geometry in his work, which is influenced by architecture, cubism, Iraqi modernism, and a fascination for Arabic texts. His label for LIFEWTR is inspired by the rivers of his childhood through to adulthood – from the Tigris and Bosporus to the Thames and Seine.

He says, “I love anything to do with water and art, and so in a sense, LIFEWTR was a dream collaboration. The encouragement of free expression was really refreshing and a testament to an ethos that really puts creativity in the hands of the artist. The bottle looks fantastic; it not only holds true to the design, but also enhances it with subtle shimmers and movements in the colours. I didn’t expect a bottle to feel like such a work of art, but here we are!”

In addition to commissioning the artists to create design labels for the bottles, LIFEWTR has also acquired works by Athier, Basmah Felemban and Ebtisam Abdulaziz for the PepsiCo collection, and offered each artist a grant that will go towards the development of their careers. Later this year, LIFEWTR will also release a third design to celebrate Expo 2020 Dubai – with a dedicated LIFEWTR label by Emirati artist Ebtisam Abdulaziz. 

“We’re thrilled to bring LIFEWTR to the UAE, a wonderful addition to PepsiCo’s diverse beverage portfolio in the region. Pluralism and inclusivity have always thrived in the UAE and we’re proud to offer regional artists a platform to create inspirational work that showcases pride in their cultures and mirrors the values the country espouses. We’ve strived to create a premium bottled water experience that balances clean, pure taste with authentic purpose, allowing UAE residents the opportunity to quench their thirst – both physically and emotionally,” said Mustafa Shamseldin, Chief Marketing Officer at PepsiCo – Africa, Middle East, and South Asia. 

The premium brand captures the spirit of a culturally curious cohort that shares LIFEWTR’s belief that like water, inspiration is essential to life. Rotating label motifs represent thought-inspiring themes or topics that are relevant to society.