Qatar residents, particularly Culture Pass members, will have the opportunity to take part in a number of public art activities in the country such as tours, talks, and photography workshop from Saturday until the end of this month, it is learnt.
Created by Qatar Museums (QM), Culture Pass serves as a gateway for its members to explore culture, art and heritage by participating in curated programmes that fit their artistic passion.
QM is organising a special public art tour Saturday, which will allow participants to discover a large-scale sculpture in the desert.
Titled “East-West/West-East” by American artist and sculptor Richard Serra, this tour is exclusive to QM’s Culture Pass members only.
The landscape commission, which extends over a kilometre, features four steel plates at Brouq Nature Reserve, near Zekreet in western Qatar. It is located approximately 60km from Doha.
According to QM, this unique artwork consists of two 66.5m-long and 4.1m-tall steel curves “that snake diagonally through the exhibition space”. It portrays from different periods of the artist’s 50-year career of sculptures and drawings.
Serra’s vertical steel sculpture titled “7” at the Museum of Islamic Art park in Doha was his first public artwork in the Middle East, which was unveiled in 2011.
QM is also holding a public art talk, moderated by its head of public art, Abdulrahman al-Ishaq, scheduled from 7.30pm to 9pm at the National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ).
The panel discussion will see renowned Qatari artists Aisha al-Sowaidi and Ali Hassan, and Iraqi sculptor Ahmed al-Bahrani discussing the different dialogues of public art installations around the city, as well as its importance in engaging more diverse audiences to raise awareness in communities, and transform places.
Al-Sowaidi and Hassan created commissioned pieces that are now showcased at NMoQ as part of QM’s vast Public Art Programme while al-Bahrani’s works are displayed at various locations in Doha, including his famous "A message of peace to the world" installation at Hamad International Airport.
Culture Pass members will also have the opportunity to learn basic photography techniques at the first-ever Youth Photography Workshop with renowned photographer, artist and educator, Tanya Habjouqa from October 21 to 27.
Born in Jordan and educated in the United States, Habjouqa lives in East Jerusalem. Her work/projects have been commended by renowned media publications and organisations such as Time, Smithsonian and World Press Photo.
Organised by Doha Film Institute (DFI), the workshop aims to encourage and inspire creative storytelling through photography using a compact digital camera or smartphone. It will be held at the DFI Production Villa (5pm to 7pm) and open to applicants between 13 and 17 years old.
“Taught in a fun environment, the class will focus on exploration and developing a love of photography and the visual arts. Participants will examine the world anew with a curious and innovative mind by building their own creative art and photography portfolios,” QM said in its email to Culture Pass members.
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