QM exhibitions beckon art lovers

The pleasant weather provides an opportunity for residents and visitors to visit and experience a number of unique Qatar Museums (QM) exhibitions, at various locations across the country.
At the Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in Education City, the Majaz: Contemporary Art Qatar showcases the works of 35 emerging and mid-career artists who participated in the Artist in Residence programme between 2015 and 2021. The show will conclude on February 25.
“With projects ranging from painting, drawing, prints, sculpture, new media and installations, Majaz: Contemporary Art Qatar shares a thorough exploration of the process of storytelling, both real and imaginary,” QM said.
Another must-see exhibition is the Taysir Batniji: No Condition is Permanent, on show at Mathaf until January 21.
According to QM, the works on view include photography, painting, drawing, video, installation and performance, featuring Batniji’s diverse practice. Presented within a global context of social uncertainty, fragile historical narratives and crises, this exhibition is conceived as a reflective space dedicated to the artist Taysir Batniji (b. 1966, Gaza).
Co-curated by Abdellah Karroum and Lina Ramadan, No Condition is Permanent is one of several programmes scheduled as part of Qatar – Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia (MENASA) Year of Culture.
The QM initiative also presents an exhibition highlighting Iraq's capital “as one of the most important and influential cities in the Islamic world”.
QM noted that Baghdad: Eye’s Delight, running until February 25 at the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA), features objects on loan from 22 world-renowned institutions, including the Louvre, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Benaki Museum, the Vatican and the Barjeel Foundation. These include artefacts, photographs and video footage.
“The exhibition reveals Baghdad’s outstanding heritage as the capital of the great Abbasid caliphs (750-1258 CE), but also of the 20th century when the city once again experienced a renewed period of prosperity with the discovery of oil.
“The display takes the visitor on an imaginary tour across centuries, highlighting Baghdad’s role as a city of power, scholarship, and riches. It also explores the industry and commerce of Baghdad during the Abbasid rule, and the development of the modern industry in the 20th century,” QM said.
At the MIA Park, the Safar exhibition, presented in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs until January 24, underlines the experiences of Afghan refugees following their evacuation from Afghanistan in 2021.
Showcasing a collection of videos, photographs and illustrated stories, this one-of-its-kind show “underscores Afghanistan’s role as a centre of intellectual debate and artistic excellence for thousands of years”.
Safar “also addresses the support of Qatar and its bilateral relations with Afghanistan over the past thirty years, as well as its role during the evacuation process in 2021”.
Other exhibitions include Labour of Love: Embroidering Palestinian History at Katara – the Cultural Village QM Gallery until January 28; Almaha Almaadeed: Inspired by the Land at Mathaf until January 28; One Tiger OrAnother at Mathaf until January 21; and Art Mill Museum 2030 at Qatar Flour Mills Warehouse and Al Najada Heritage House until March 30; among others.