Qatar Foundation (QF) Wednesday held the international premiere of the award winning short documentary about the life, work and the genius of the world-renowned artist, M F Husain, at a virtual ceremony.
The ceremony, titled ‘Painter, polymath, provocateur: Rediscovering MF Husain through his final artwork’ also marked the 10th anniversary of his death and highlighted Seeroo fi al ardh, his final work installed in the Education City of QF which art experts say is a “destination” that will help put Qatar on the global art map.
Commissioned by QF chairperson Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Seeroo fi al ardh – which opened in December 2019 - is regarded by many as Husain’s crowning masterpiece. Envisaged by the artist before he passed away in 2011, and designed to tell the story of how innovation steered the progress of civilisation in the Arab region through a multidimensional creative experience, it was the most ambitious work of his career – and it has now been brought to reality in a permanent home at the Education City.
QF and Scale magazine partnered for the event at which a documentary focusing on Husain’s “creative universe”, developed by Qatar production company The Film House, was given its first public screening, followed by a panel discussion.
“The appeal of Husain is magnetic and universal,” explained Ranjit Hoskote, a poet, art critic, cultural theorist, and independent curator, who moderated the discussion. “And he was one of the few artists who reached out to other arts.
“To me, it seems that Seeroo fi al ardh is the manifestation of his desire to create an installation that is open, interactive, and brings people in to experience art in a multidimensional way. Husain drew his inspiration from the great, continuing human adventure, and his last work continues to speak for him – standing at QF and open to the world, perhaps marking the apex of his creative vision.”
According to Layla Ibrahim Bacha, senior art specialist and Seeroo fi al ardh project superviser, QF, who was among the experts discussing Husain’s influence on both the world of art and the world as a whole, “Studying and researching his writings and drawings made me realise how, when he created his work, he was not only fulfilling a creative urge, but aspiring to make a long-term impact on the community around him.
“As a place of education, the educational aspect of art, and how knowledge is transferred from it and how it is provided for everyone to see, is very important to QF. We are confident that Seeroo fi al ardh will be a destination not only for our community in Qatar, but for those visiting or just passing through the country – it’s something to come here and see, even for just a few hours, because it is a one-of-a-kind experience.”
Bose Krishnamachari, an artist, curator, and president of the Kochi Biennale Foundation, described seeing Seeroo fi al ardh come to fruition in the way Husain intended as being “amazing”, and characterised the artist as “generous, passionate – and impatient”.
“A great artist is unpredictable,” he explained. “With Husain, you could never read him or tell what he was going to do next, and that is one of the reasons he sustained.
“As well as being timeless, he was also timely. If he was alive today, he would be working with scientists and startups to make something new.”
Dimitri Yuri, award-winning director at The Film House and a QF alumnus, spoke about how he “jumped at the chance” to crystallise Husain’s life into just 10 minutes through the documentary.
He said, “What fascinated me was that he was an observer of the world and the human experience, and Seeroo fi al ardh highlights this. Looking at his work is like watching a performance of life happening in front of us. I can’t shake the feeling that when he was watching the things we experience every day, he saw it as the most beautiful and complex thing he had ever seen. That shines through in his work.”
The Seeroo fi al ardh documentary has been selected for the Las Cruces International Film Festival, the Jaipur International Film Festival, and the 10th Bangalore Shorts Film Festival, and has won awards at the Crown Wood International Film Festival in India, and the Spotlight Doc Awards.
The ceremony, titled ‘Painter, polymath, provocateur: Rediscovering MF Husain through his final artwork’ also marked the 10th anniversary of his death and highlighted Seeroo fi al ardh, his final work installed in the Education City of QF which art experts say is a “destination” that will help put Qatar on the global art map.
Commissioned by QF chairperson Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Seeroo fi al ardh – which opened in December 2019 - is regarded by many as Husain’s crowning masterpiece. Envisaged by the artist before he passed away in 2011, and designed to tell the story of how innovation steered the progress of civilisation in the Arab region through a multidimensional creative experience, it was the most ambitious work of his career – and it has now been brought to reality in a permanent home at the Education City.
QF and Scale magazine partnered for the event at which a documentary focusing on Husain’s “creative universe”, developed by Qatar production company The Film House, was given its first public screening, followed by a panel discussion.
“The appeal of Husain is magnetic and universal,” explained Ranjit Hoskote, a poet, art critic, cultural theorist, and independent curator, who moderated the discussion. “And he was one of the few artists who reached out to other arts.
“To me, it seems that Seeroo fi al ardh is the manifestation of his desire to create an installation that is open, interactive, and brings people in to experience art in a multidimensional way. Husain drew his inspiration from the great, continuing human adventure, and his last work continues to speak for him – standing at QF and open to the world, perhaps marking the apex of his creative vision.”
According to Layla Ibrahim Bacha, senior art specialist and Seeroo fi al ardh project superviser, QF, who was among the experts discussing Husain’s influence on both the world of art and the world as a whole, “Studying and researching his writings and drawings made me realise how, when he created his work, he was not only fulfilling a creative urge, but aspiring to make a long-term impact on the community around him.
“As a place of education, the educational aspect of art, and how knowledge is transferred from it and how it is provided for everyone to see, is very important to QF. We are confident that Seeroo fi al ardh will be a destination not only for our community in Qatar, but for those visiting or just passing through the country – it’s something to come here and see, even for just a few hours, because it is a one-of-a-kind experience.”
Bose Krishnamachari, an artist, curator, and president of the Kochi Biennale Foundation, described seeing Seeroo fi al ardh come to fruition in the way Husain intended as being “amazing”, and characterised the artist as “generous, passionate – and impatient”.
“A great artist is unpredictable,” he explained. “With Husain, you could never read him or tell what he was going to do next, and that is one of the reasons he sustained.
“As well as being timeless, he was also timely. If he was alive today, he would be working with scientists and startups to make something new.”
Dimitri Yuri, award-winning director at The Film House and a QF alumnus, spoke about how he “jumped at the chance” to crystallise Husain’s life into just 10 minutes through the documentary.
He said, “What fascinated me was that he was an observer of the world and the human experience, and Seeroo fi al ardh highlights this. Looking at his work is like watching a performance of life happening in front of us. I can’t shake the feeling that when he was watching the things we experience every day, he saw it as the most beautiful and complex thing he had ever seen. That shines through in his work.”
The Seeroo fi al ardh documentary has been selected for the Las Cruces International Film Festival, the Jaipur International Film Festival, and the 10th Bangalore Shorts Film Festival, and has won awards at the Crown Wood International Film Festival in India, and the Spotlight Doc Awards.