As part of its ongoing efforts to spark constructive debate and engage the wider community, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art will host an online panel discussion on Art and Cultural Narratives in Qatar tomorrow from 8pm-9pm, in conjunction with the exhibition Lived Forward: Art and Culture in Doha from 1960-2020, currently on show at Mathaf.
The exhibition curator, Lina Ramadan, will lead the discussion with guest speakers Dr Mahjoob Zweiri, director of the Gulf Studies Centre at Qatar University; and Salman al-Malik, artist and director of the Visual Arts Centre, Ministry of Culture and Sports in Doha, who will trace the development of Qatari art.
The discussion will detail key moments and under-regarded group initiatives that established an infrastructure for art experimentation and discourse in Qatar.
Lina Ramadan, assistant curator at Mathaf said: “For more than half a century, Qatar’s cultural landscape has been shaped by local and regional influences across the Arab world that have laid the foundation for what is today a rich and vibrant art scene. The panel discussion promises to provide illuminating insights on the varied elements and historical events that have inspired the works of artists and cultural practitioners and moulded the country’s intricate tapestry of arts and culture.”
Several topics relating to the evolution of Qatar’s arts and culture landscape will be explored, including the formative collaborations that defined the infrastructure for Qatar’s artist-run spaces, museums and research; how Qatari art is connected to other regional and international trends and movements; and how to rethink the existing narratives that limit past and current readings of Qatar’s history.
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