Qatar Museums promises an interesting line-up of exhibitions in the days to come. By Anand Holla
As the summer tunes out of Qatar in the coming months, a series of interesting art events await enthusiasts, assures Qatar Museums (QM).
Apart from the much-awaited exhibition The Tiger’s Dream: Tipu Sultan that kicks off on September 29 at the Museum of Islamic Art and will go on till January 24, 2015, some pleasant surprises are in order, this autumn. Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art will showcase works by the Iranian-born artist, filmmaker and photographer Shirin Neshat.
One of the best-known Persian artists in the Western world, Neshat, for most of her adult life, has lived in the US, in self-imposed exile from her homeland. Her work explores ideas of femininity, and delves into the complex social, religious and political realities that govern the identities of Muslim women worldwide. Women without Men, her first feature, which told the stories of four women struggling to escape oppression in Tehran, won her the Silver Lion for best director at the 2010 Venice Film Festival.
“Walk into a Shirin Neshat film installation and the images seize you: big, memorable, physically beautiful, exploring the role of women in Islamic society in terms of cinematic poetry, so that even the stifling chador becomes powerfully expressive,” The New York Times remarked in July 2002. One of Neshat’s pieces, Stories of Martyrdom, is already part of Mathaf’s permanent collection.
QM further says, “Mathaf will also bring us an exhibition from their permanent collection, Summary, Part 1, giving value to the heritage of Arab modernities within an international context with a selection of works produced from the 20th century.”
It will be raining local talent too. At QM Gallery, Al Riwaq, the Qatar-Brazil 2014 Year of Culture will present an exhibition titled Here and There by a group of Qatari and Brazilian artists. At QM Gallery, Katara, well-known Qatari artist Yousef Ahmed’s exhibition will feature the choicest of his artworks from his early forays in 1970s to today. November will witness the second series of Mal Lawal (from the old days), an exhibition that was held in 2012 and had invited everyone in Qatar to share the objects that have made an impression and resonated with them throughout their lives. The QM’s note about Mal Lawal says, “From everyday artefacts and quirky trinkets to contemporary treasures and Qatari art, community-led contributions shaped an incredibly unique show – the first of its kind in the region. The project represented the shared heritage and passions of local people, both esteemed collectors and amateur enthusiasts. It offered younger people a window to the past, and allowed the nation’s collective character to shine.”
Meanwhile, Building our Collection exhibition, which looks at why MIA collects Islamic art, and how its collecting practices shape our understanding of Islamic art through artistic and cultural connections between different regions of the Islamic world, is all set to roll out on September 17 with its second series Mughal and Safavid Albums. It will be on till February 21, 2015. Most of the featured objects have never before been on display.
The Mughal and Safavid Albums will showcase the museum’s collection of miniatures and calligraphy. These objects reveal the journey of artistic refinement from the Middle East to Asia and Europe across the centuries. As for the first series, Ceramics of al-Andulas, which focuses on rare and beautiful ceramics from Spain, Saturday is your last chance to catch it at the Museum of Islamic Art.
ON SHOW: Stories of Martyrdom, 1994, by Shirin Neshat.
