Katara Football Art exhibition begins

Running until December 18 from 10am to 10pm daily, the exhibition organised by Katara and MAPS International showcases the key moments of the last five editions of the FIFA World Cup.Addressing the media, Prof Dr al-Sulaiti described KFA as a very large exhibition to showcase love for football through art. “The five different pavilions represent the period when all five FIFA World Cups were held during the 21st century. Each pavilion gives a brief history about that time, the important players who people still remember and recognise for what they have achieved,” he noted.“Though KFA is an exhibition done primarily for the FIFA Arab Cup, it is almost a rehearsal for the FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar,” he said.Khalid al-Sayed, director of Cultural Affairs and Events at Katara, said the football art exhibition is a big opportunity for the visitors to get a feel of the upcoming FIFA World Cup. “KFA is a project to celebrate art, sports and culture. The project symbolically re-creates and re-lives the last five FIFA World Cups,” he added.Rashmi Agarwal, founder and president of MAPS International, told Gulf Times that the exhibition is an attempt to give a boost to the sport fever. "It showcases art and musical programmes and live shows that highlight the cultural richness of Japan – Korea, Germany, South Africa, Brazil and Russia that hosted the five previous editions of FIFA World Cup. The exhibition has live shows featuring artists from these five countries. “We have exhibited winning expressions in paintings and graphics. We have also showcased crazy moments of each tournament and gestures of the spectators. The exhibition also provides details about the contesting teams. We have also been playing official songs of every FIFA World Cup held in this century.“Football is not just kicking a ball. We all are waiting for FIFA 2022. We are creating some sort of hype and feelings for people in Qatar about the event. Through this exhibition, we want people to feel the enthusiasm about the sport. When we relate football to art, it becomes motivational and meditational,” she added. The art galleries of Building 18 have been turned into five football pavilions, each representing the last five FIFA World Cups. The pavilions have been decorated with art works showcasing the memories, winning expressions, and significant moments from the last five World Cups. The organisers have also placed big screens at every pavilion to play the videos of previous World Cups and final matches. The floor of each pavilion is covered with green carpets, representing football fields.The main corridor of Building 18 is decorated to highlight the preparations for the FIFA 2022 World Cup Qatar. Large pictures of the eight stadiums for the mega 2022 sporting event in Qatar are displayed at the facility.The inaugural ceremony was attended by ambassadors and representatives from Kenya, Indonesia, the Philippines, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Croatia, Haiti, Cuba, Macedonia, Brazil, and Russia. The other dignitaries included Doha Bank Group CEO Dr R Seetharaman.