Qatari contemporary artist Ebtisam Al Saffar (right) and Khalifa Al Obaidli, Director of the Fire Station, at the opening of the exhibition. Pic: Baher Amin / The Peninsula
The Qatari Art Residency Program in Paris is an important milestone in the Qatari art community as it provides Qatari artists immense opportunity to grow personally and artistically, according to Ebtisam Al Saffar — the first Qatari artist to complete the unique programme launched by the Fire Station as an extension of its Artists in Residence programme in Doha.
“The Qatari Art Residency Program in Paris is a turning point in the Qatari art society in the long run. It expands Qatari artists’ horizon in life and art,” said Al Saffar while sharing her experiences on her three-month residency at the Qatar Studio at the renowned Cité internationale des Arts, Paris, France.
Out of 22 Arab countries, six have studios at Cité internationale des Arts - one of the biggest and most important art residencies in the world. They include Morocco, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, the UAE and most recently Qatar.
Speaking before an audience comprising artists and art enthusiasts at Fire Station Cinema on Monday, she said that her residency in Paris influenced her at various levels.
“I got to know international art and met international artists. Interacting and communicating with international artists in different fields of arts change you at a personal level. Seeing the works of art in person is very different from seeing them in pictures in social media, magazines and newspapers; it touches you at a deeper level,” she said.
As part of her residency, she was able to visit museums in Paris as well as those in five European countries she visited during her residency including Britain, Denmark, Belgium, Norway and the Netherlands.
Asked on her observation of the local art landscape compared to Paris, she said: “Our artists in Qatar are no less important than the artists in Paris. Yes they have historical well known artists but we also have important artists at an international level. Also young Qatari artists are moving on the right track towards achieving their artistic goals and I fully support them and I expect that they will succeed greatly in the future,” she said.
Nine paintings she created in Paris are on display at an exhibition on show in the Annex Building (above Café #999) until May 22.
They focus on visual expressions of human faces and the expressive energy that they produce. The artist has called her collection "What is Left in the Faces", as she believes that what remains in a facial expression after every experience that a human encounters does not end, but is instead transmitted from one generation to the next.
Khalifa Al Obaidli, Director of the Fire Station, said: “We are proud to open this powerful and unique exhibition by Ebtisam Al Saffar at Doha’s Fire Station Artist in Residence. Al Saffar is a hugely talented artist, and her works will not only inspire the local community, but they will also inspire our own artists in residence, and help to create an indigenous culture of creativity and innovation in Qatar. We will continue to provide more opportunities for Qatari artists to visit Paris to encounter different cultures and to connect to the everyday life of local citizens."
