QFI to host art exhibition in California

Celebrating the crossroads between American and Arab cultures, Qatar Foundation International (QFI) will host an art exhibition opening today at ADC Contemporary & Building Bridges International Art Exchange at Bergamot Station in Santa Monica, California.  The artists participating in the exhibition, which runs until July 13, are high school students. The art installation is titled ‘Aber: Expressions of Culture, Identity and Language.’ The exhibition features the collective work of 60 youth hailing from Doha, Qatar; Portland, Oregon; and Los Angeles.  The high school students participated in a week-long cultural exchange in Doha, where they explored cultural identity and language.  Using graffiti, calligraphy and photography, the students created 10 art panels that celebrate their cultures, environments and the unique trans-global journey they’ve shared. ‘Aber’ is an Arabic word meaning to express one’s feelings and thoughts, or to move across from one side to the other.  As the exhibit travels from Doha to Los Angeles, and then on to Portland and Washington, DC, the juxtaposition of graffiti, photography and stencils will offer visitors that same experience of exploration and moving from one culture to another.