Artists Abdulla AlSallat and Oleksandra Umanska have partnered to produce stunning pieces, which reflect the haunting memories left behind by war-torn buildings.

Titled 'Reverie Ruins', this mixed-media installation – which fuses traditional drawing with 3D rendering – explores the deeper emotions tied to architectural destruction with both artists offering unique perspectives.

“What makes it unique is the emotional response to the real things that are happening in the world, and our approach to that response makes it different,” AlSallat told Gulf Times.

Umanska, deeply connected to her Ukrainian heritage and the ongoing war in her country, created 3D renderings of buildings destroyed by the conflict.

AlSallat, in turn, drew over these images, expressing his feeling-driven reaction to the evocative structures.

Sharing the personal impact of the project, Umanska said: “We wanted to focus on the architecture, on the buildings destroyed by the war; if those buildings could talk, what stories could they say?”

“It’s 3D-rendered but it’s all based on real images and real reference images so there's a lot of references from the real buildings that were destroyed by war,” she said.

“I myself am Ukrainian, so I had a strong attachment to the issue and I wanted to represent it in my art and Abdulla was very supportive of the idea,” Umanska pointed out, noting that the artwork itself presents a powerful visual, including a piece that represents a single wall from a ruined building adorned with a mural.

'Reverie Ruins' brings the forgotten past into the present, raising questions about memory, loss, and the silent witnesses to human suffering.

About the future of art in the digital age, Umanska said: “I think both are very different and also incredibly interesting.”

“I’m not talking about artificial intelligence (AI) digital artworks, I’m actually talking about 3D artists who generally spent as much time as traditional artists,” she added. “So I think both are important, both are interesting.”

AlSallat echoed this sentiment.

“Any form of self-expression, there will always be a space for it, whether it’s traditional or non-traditional art,” the Qatari artist said.”Oleksandra loves to visualise her work or her vision through 3D designs.”

“We’re both expressing something and I think that’s what's important and there’s always a space for that,” he added.

Both artists lauded the “Fire Station: Artist in Residence” programme for its support and resources, noting that such platform offers opportunities for local artists as well as those that moved to Doha from abroad – having exactly the same opportunity.

“We had amazing studio given to us for entire year, where we managed to do this beautiful work and the support of a great team,” Umanska said.

'Reverie Ruins' is on view at “A House Overlooking the World” exhibition at Fire Station’s Garage Gallery.

This latest show will run until December 31, providing visitors a window into the diverse artistic practices of 17 creators, all reflecting on the theme of self-discovery in a rapidly evolving world.