Magnificent, static, inspiring, Qatar is home to a growing number of art exhibitions, opening a new leaf to another culture, a tide that tugs and stirs our frontal cortex. Here are some of the exhibitions around Doha that you can visit – all for free.
Have a sip of Arabic coffee, the month-long event “Coffee for Two – Cultures in Dialogue” is being held at Building 47, Gallery 1 in the Katara Cultural Village. Qahwa (Arabic coffee), which is highlighted in the exhibition as an intangible cultural heritage and symbol of generosity.
The display includes 50 objects in addition to pictures, videos and quizzes. It explores the social functions of locally roasted Arabic coffee and the cultural traditions it plays in the local community.
He also examines the history of the well-known beer using maps to show its migration from rich plantations in Latin America, where it eventually gained fame in the 17th century, to the Arabian Peninsula and Egypt, where it was first grown. Additionally, it highlights how coffee has changed over time and adapted for modern use.
“Coffee for two – cultures in dialogue” will last until September 21.
Two impressive exhibitions presented by local artists are on at the Fire Station until September 24: Abstraction: Subverting Reality and Beyond the Rules.
The exhibition Abstraction: Inverting Reality features artwork by Noor Abuissa, Amna Al Baker, Shaikha Al Hardan, May Al Mannai, Hassan Al Mulla, Ebtisam Al Saffar, Ryan Browning, Sarah Jayyousi, Jesse Payne, Michael Perrone and Twiggy Shmeissany. Artists go beyond reality to try to express that there are no strong words for shapes, lines and colors.
Beyond The Rules exhibition by Abeer Al Tamimi
The exhibition Beyond The Rules by Abeer Al Tamimi delves into her interest in human interaction and practices. During her residency at the Cité International des Arts in Paris, she discovered that people are entitled and live in a bubble that encourages negative behavior.
Calling all children! Children are welcome to visit Dadu’s Light Atelier while it is still in temporary residence at Mathaf: The Arab Museum of Modern Art. There is no charge to visit the exhibition and reservations are not required. The exhibition will last until September 11.
Dadu’s Light Workshop. Photo: Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art website
Dadu’s Light Atelier uses several installations to allow children to explore ideas about light and shadow, color mixing, reflections and more. You and your child can play, explore and experiment in the educational field.
Saturday to Thursday, Mathaf is open from 9am to 7pm and Friday from 1.30pm to 7pm.
Your Brain to Me, My Brain to You and A Sneak Peek at Qatar Auto Museum Project are the two ongoing installations at the National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ), which are open until 20 December and 20 January 2023, respectively.
Your brain for me, my brain for you by Pipilotti Rist
Pipilotti Rist’s first video installation in the Middle East, Your Brain for Me, My Brain for You, invites viewers to undergo a multi-sensory journey of self-discovery that evokes wonder and reflection. In addition, it emphasizes the importance of mental well-being.
The first of the exhibition’s three sections is Rist’s “pixel forest,” which consists of 12,000 LED lights scattered over the gallery on cables. These are neurons that are constantly firing and interacting with each other. Abstract images of the Qatari landscape are encoded in pulsating lamps encased in resin choreographed to a soundscape.
The other room is a black canvas on which you can write or draw your feelings with a glow-in-the-dark marker. The program then switches to a section where a mental health clip is played over and over. During group visits there will be breathing and meditation exercises.
When the museum installation is complete, it will be transferred to Dadu, the Qatar Children’s Museum, where it will remain as a permanent exhibit.
1936 Pontiac Plexiglass Deluxe Six “Ghost Car”
What the public can expect from the Qatar Auto Museum (QAM), which will occupy 30,000 square meters in the former Doha Exhibition Center building in Al Gassar, is detailed in the exhibition “A Sneak Peek at Qatar Auto Museum Project”, also in NMoQ.
Famous antique cars from the Qatar Museums collection are on display at the Mawater Gallery. QAM’s goal is to inspire the next generation of innovators, designers, engineers, collectors and policy makers through a passion for cars. QAM unites the country’s automotive community under one roof and one purpose.
These three iconic vintage automobiles are: the 1936 Ferrari 250 GTO Berlinetta, widely regarded as the finest Ferrari ever built and one of the most valuable of all collector cars; 1936 Pontiac Plexiglass Deluxe Six “Ghost Car”, the first transparent car made in America; and the 1949 Delahaye 175 S Roadster, called a moving sculpture and one of the most extraordinary and opulent post-war vehicles in existence.
Exhibitions, whether of works of art, automobiles or sculpture, reveal the contours of creative methods and open up a whole new realm of imagination. Paintings, art objects are the apparatus, which has a powerful manifestation that shapes our perceptions and understanding. These art exhibitions take us on a journey through the realm of the artist’s style.
Start your adventure now in some of Qatar’s art scene – starting with these exhibitions.
