Fire Station’s exhibition sheds light on future trends

The Fire Station's latest exhibition, titled "The Present: The Future of the Past,” offers a glimpse into the evolving world of art as it highlights the fusion of traditional artistic methodologies with cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR).Curated by Saida al-Khulaifi, the exhibition showcases creations from the Artist in Residence of 2021-2022 (AIR 6) and 2022-2023 (AIR 7). The event aims to explore the inner workings of artists' studios, providing visitors with a unique opportunity to understand the unique approaches and techniques employed by the latest batch of resident artists.Al-Khulaifi underlined the importance of encouraging artists to explore the potential of their creations, citing examples from the exhibition, including a cultural installation incorporating AR elements. She noted that one of the artists integrated AI technology seamlessly into his work."I think one of the main things we try to do here (Fire Station’s AIR programme) is that if an artist has an artwork that has the potential, we try to ask them to experiment with that."We have one cultural installation that has an AR augmented reality element, his work is a hybrid between AI and it is also his art so he would generate these images and then he will paint them again,” she said.The exhibition will remain on view until December 16 at the Fire Station's Garage Gallery, Gallery 3, and Gallery 4. It showcases interactive artworks equipped with sensors, allowing visitors to engage with the pieces – described as an innovative approach to art engagement, which demonstrates the evolving landscape of artistic expression.About the direction of interactive, immersive, and AI art in Qatar, al-Khulaifi expressed optimism about the future, saying that they are taking slow but careful steps towards embracing these forms of art.The integration of AI and immersive experiences, she noted, is becoming increasingly popular, and the Fire Station aims to nurture and develop this trend."And also like in the other art galleries (of the Fire Station), we have a couple of immersive experiences that I think it's (AI art) coming and it's something that we really like to cultivate and develop as well... so we make sure that if we receive applications of that kind we know that the world is going this way and we want to also showcase local talents that can actually work with that,” al-Khulaifi pointed out.