Four stunning art exhibitions at Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, which opened to the public on September 16, put a spotlight on Qatar’s vibrant art scene, according to Mathaf director, Zeina Arida.Qatar Museums Chairperson HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani graced the inaugural event on Thursday. The exhibitions forms part of Qatar Creates, showcasing the works of renowned artists from across the region.“Providing a platform for artists who explore Arab perspectives and share cultural and historical connections with Qatar has always been at the heart of the vision for Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art," Arida explained. “That’s why as we celebrate the creative power and heritage of the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia region through the Qatar – MENASA (Middle East, North Africa, South Asia) Year of Culture 2022 I am so pleased to see four incredible exhibitions open at Mathaf.
“From Sophia al-Maria’s incredible installations in Invisible Labors daydream therapy, to Taysir Batniji’s works of art that explore the struggle for freedom and systematic oppression, Ho Tzu Nyen’s work inspired by polarizing figures in South Asian history, and the work of alumni from @dohafirestation’s artist in residence programe in Majaz, I have no doubt they will be enjoyed by all who visit,” HE Sheikha Al Mayassa posted on her social media pages,” HE Sheikha Al Mayassa posted on her social media pages.Speaking on the sidelines of a media tour on Thursday, Arida said al-Maria’s ‘Invisible Labours daydream therapy’ and Batniji’s ‘No Condition is Permanent’ (both running until January 21, 2023) are the artists’ first monographic exhibitions in the region.She said the works of Batniji are very intimate but as well political that attempts to tell in a very poetic way, the fragility and the impossibility of returning to Palestine. “There is a very vibrant work (of Batniji) titled ‘To My Brother’ that is a tribute to his brother, who was killed during the First Intifada in 1987,” Arida noted.One Tiger or Another (open until January 21, 2023) explores history as the product of both fact and fiction, through a CGI-animation by Singaporean artist Ho Tzu Nyen (b. 1976) and artefacts relating to the legend of Tipu Sultan, the Tiger of Mysore, one of the most famous and polarising figures in South Asian history, across mediums and time.Majaz: Contemporary Art Qatar (open until February 25, 2023) marks five years of the Artist in Residence programme at the Fire Station in Doha, featuring 25 alumni and their works.