by Raynald C Rivera
With its plethora of current and future events, Qatar has seen a very vibrant arts and culture scene in recent times, gradually assuming a nucleus for art connoisseurs and those who have the heart for art and culture.
The recently concluded fourth Doha Tribeca Film Festival is one of these events that prove the vivacity of the sector. Many moviegoers patronised the more expanded festival with some shows running out of tickets. From special screenings of world renowned films like Silver Lining Playbook featuring Robert De Niro and two Shah Rukh Khan movies to Made in Qatar section’s Thriller Night, seats were sold out, prompting one movie Angel in June to screen even after the festival due to demand.
As temperature dips, many people now prefer to venture outdoors but for art enthusiasts there are always places to satisfy their passion for the beautiful with many ongoing art expositions in the city’s major hotspots to encounter arts and culture up close.
For those who wish to view art exhibitions in a different light, Qatar Museums Authority’s ‘Little Sun’ event at the Yan Pei-Ming “Painting the History” expo starts today at 9pm and goes on till 9pm tomorrow. During the event the renowned Franco-Chinese artist’s exhibition can be only seen in the dark using a “little Sun” lamp. In line with the ongoing Doha Climate Change Conference, the event is both an artistic endeavour and a call to action. By buying “Little Sun” at a full price in areas of the world with electricity, people help make it available for a lower price to communities with no or inconsistent electricity.
On view until January 12, 2013 at QMA Gallery Building 10 in Katara, the exhibition profiles three types of history-makers and highlights the power of painting as a medium for recording historical events and portraying iconic figures.
There is still time to catch ‘Constantin Boym: Learning From Mabkhara’ expo which concludes on Saturday. The expo features unique and exquisite shapes and designs of Mabkhara - a traditional Arab incense burner typically used in daily domestic activities in the Arab world. The exhibition presents the new objects alongside their traditional prototypes from the region, to illustrate the process of “learning” and to better highlight the dialectic between continuity and innovation.
Other interesting expos going on in Katara are Japanese photographer Kimiko Yoshida’s ‘Intangible Brides’ shown at the Gallery 2, Building 18 and another photography expo ‘Elizabeth Taylor in Iran, 1976’ by the late actress’ friend American-Iranian photographer Firooz Zahedi.
While Yoshida’s expo features her interpretation of Middle Eastern, Arab and North African traditional dress and accessories, Zahedi’s showcases rare photos of the actress which were never before seen in the Middle East.
In view of Qatar’s hosting of the Climate Change Conference, a series of documentary films on nature is being shown nightly at Katara Esplanade. The Island President will screen tonight at 8.30, while tomorrow Home will have to screenings at 6.30pm (Arabic) and 9pm (English) and Winged Migration will be shown on Saturday at 8.30pm.
The Island President traces the story of President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives.
Home portrays a compelling portrait of our planet from a truly unique perspective and Winged Migration tracks the migration of several species of birds as they make their annual trek from their summer homes in northern and southern climes to winter nearer the Equator.
For those with penchant for history and science ‘The ‘Arabick Roots’ expo is the right place to visit. Going on until January 19 at the Museum of Islamic Art, the expo is a 1001 Inventions production which reveals the rich and surprising connections between the scientific pioneers of Muslim Civilization and 17th century Britain’s greatest scholars and scientists.
More than 100 brilliant watercolor miniatures, some of which are part of an album dated 1590 and commissioned by Bartholomäus Schachman, mayor of Gdansk in 1604, during his journey to the Ottoman Empire are displayed at the ‘The Art of Travel’ expo which runs until February 11 at Al Riwaq exhibition space.
At Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art ‘Tea with Nefertiti’ brings together artworks that span continents and millennia to offer a critical perspective on how to perceive an artwork, particularly in and from the Arab world using the rich historical context of Egypt as a case study.
Also at Mathaf is ‘Forever Now’, featuring new narratives from five artists part of its permanent collection including Fahrelnissa Zeid, Jewad Selim, Saliba Douaihy, Salim Al Dabbagh and Ahmed Cherkaoui.
‘Tea with Nefertiti’ and ‘Forever Now’ both run until March 31 next year.
Upcoming events in Katara worth watching to include Mozart’s opera ‘La Clamenza Di Tito The Met: Live in HD’ on Saturday at the Drama Theatre, Chamber Music Series: Borodin Quartet on December 5 at Katara Opera House.
Fans of famous British singer-songwriter, composer, producer and accomplished musician Sami Yusuf are also looking forward to his concert on December 6 at the spectacular Katara Amphitheatre.
Forthcoming expos at Katara include “The Witness”, in commemoration of the 25th year of the assassination of renowned Palestinian caricaturist, Naji Al Ali which also will feature 20 newly commissioned paintings by Iraqi artist Hani Mazhar inspired by the works of Naji Al Ali; and Encounter: The Royal Academy in the Middle East, an exhibition featuring over 80 works of art by 25 Royal Academicians and 25 prominent artists from across the Middle East.
The Peninsula
