Horse fest an opportunity for artists to showcase skills

The activities accompanying the prestigious festival on the Katara Corniche are drawing a large number of visitors while showcasing the skills of local and international artists.
The festival began on Thursday and continues until February 11.
As part of KIAHF 2023, more than 30 events and activities are being held with participation from various countries.
For instance, the 'Collectibles' exhibition for Arabian horses, being held in co-operation with the Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Museum and Qatar National Library (QNL), is witnessing a large turnout. Another one, the 'Symphony of Authenticity' exhibition by artist Ali al-Mimar, is open at Building 47 with 17 paintings about horses.
Like in the previous edition, the saddle-drawing competition has evoked a good response with a number of artists from the country and abroad taking part with enthusiasm. The popular competition has the participation of 30 artists and the winners will receive QR30,000, QR20,000 and QR10,000, respectively.
“We are all enjoying the competition here and it’s a good opportunity for us,” said Qatari artist Abdullah al-Mutawah.
“We try to exhibit our skills here, and the festival is an ideal venue to develop them,” Iraqi-American artist Diyar al-Asadi said, adding that he is painting on saddles for the first time.
Russian artist Lyubov Jalladyan also hailed the festival, saying it lends a good opportunity to artists to showcase their skills. Similarly, Indian artist Mahesh Kumar said artists find a suitable space whenever Katara organises a festival. “It’s an honour to be here,” he added.
The 'Collectibles' exhibition contains a section titled 'Arabian Horses in QNL's Heritage Collection', which present items on Arabian horses from the Heritage Library, including historical photographs, books and pamphlets on Arabian horses. It features many historical sources on horse pedigree and breeds and most notably the book,' Attributes of Purebred Arabian Horses', Katara said in a press statement.
The section also includes the books on horse’ lineages, names of Arabian horses, and the history of battles witnessed in the region and related poems.
The exhibits on display also include books on horse diseases and treatments, in addition to the books 'The Origins of Arabian Horses & Equestrian' and 'Pure Arabian Horses and their Breeds' written by the Briton, Wentworth.
Rare Qatari equestrian heritage pieces are also on display courtesy of Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani Museum. These include horse tools from countries such as Iraq, Syria, Qatar, India, Morocco and Yemen, which have been used since the 9th century. Horseshoes, saddles, bridles for horses and stirrups, cavalry weapons and shoes, as well as pieces of carpet that are used as a cover for the horse’s back and placed before the saddle is put on.
The exhibition is also showcasing historical documents of the some of the highest pedigree horses that were first registered in Qatar, such as 'Bint Twaisa', 'Ibn Wadnan' and 'Bint Al-Saqlawiya'.
The pavilion also includes some valuable historical references and books that talk about genealogy of purebred Arabian horses in Qatar. It is worth noting that the exhibition is being held in Building No. 1 at Katara and will continue until the end of KIAHF 2023.
Further, the festival will also features a number of other art exhibitions, including the 'Interactive Mirrors' exhibition, which is the first of its kind at Katara and in Qatar, the exhibition of Peter Upton’s paintings, and the Brazilian sculptures exhibition by Roberto Clazzini - 'Al-Karimah'.
The 'Best Picture' competition on Arabian purebred horses at the festival has a top prize of QR12,000. The competition is open to all Qatar citizens and residents. It will be held on the Auction day, which is February 6. Those interested can get the details of participation from the festival's website, kiahf.qa

Six qualify for 'Al Safinat Poet' award out of 146 participants
The Cultural Village Foundation - Katara has announced the qualification of six participants for the 'Al Safinat Poet' award, out of 146 entries received by the award's jury.
The finalists are Saud Kayed Saud al-Balawi from Saudi Arabia, Faisal Nimas al-Riahi from Saudi Arabia, Abdullah Fahd Abdullah al-Jedei from Kuwait, Hamad Mukhalled al-Mutairi from Kuwait, Mohamed Ahmed al-Mughairfi al-Harbi from Kuwait and Ahmed Mohamed Abdullah al-Muqbali from Oman.
They will be invited to recite six selected poems before the jury today as part of the activities of the Katara International Arabian Horse Festival 2023.