A painting by artist Amal Araban. Right: Oil on canvas by Amal Araban. Photos by Nejeer Feroke
Qatari Hosh Arts Gallery provides a platform to support pioneers, contemporary and young artists from Qatar and other nationalities, Ghanim al-Ghanim, the manager of the gallery, tells Umer Nangiana
No matter if you are a pioneer or just a budding artist, this gallery open-heartedly allows your creative side to be seen by the world. Promoting local art and artists has been a tradition at Al Hosh Al Qatari Lil Funoon Gallery — or simply Qatari Hosh Arts Gallery — since its inception.
Under the sponsorship of Alfardan Group Holding and patronage of Omar Hussain Alfardan, the gallery on Tuesday opened the doors to Qatari artists for an exhibition entitled Qatari Harmonies 2014. The exhibition displays works of four Qatari artists, Ebtisam Asaffar, Talal al-Qasemi, Amal al-Robban and Fatima al-Naimi and will run till 15th May.
Using ‘Japanese Raku Techniques’, al-Qasemi creates waves on clay and ceramic pieces. They follow the pattern of “sand waves in desert.” Having done basic training and skills development courses at different coaching centres, al-Qasemi is more of a self-taught artist.
Motivated by nature’s own ‘handiwork’ in the formation of ‘desert waves’, he innovates with his art work, giving every piece a unique touch. “There are three to four artists involved in this form of art at the moment in the whole of Qatar. So it very different and unique which is why I like doing it,” al-Qasemi told Community at the opening.
Much of his work having masterfully achieved wavy patterns, including a vase of Denemark clay, a black granite piece called ‘challenge’ and many Denemark clay discs called ‘waves’ are on display at the exhibition. The vase, however, is his personal favourite.
“It came out very well in the first attempt while I was working on it. I liked it very much from the beginning,” al-Qasemi added. Before this, he has participated in a number of exhibitions and won prizes.
Born in Qatar, al-Qasemi has participated in various local and international exhibitions, including ‘Colours of the Gulf”, an exhibition with Princess Nauf Bender Mohamed al-Saud, the Universal Exhibition of Ceramic Thumbnail, the First Arabian Youth Biennale Exhibition, Qatar and Yemeni Fine Arts Exhibition among others.
Internationally, he has participated in exhibitions in UAE, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Croatia, Egypt, Kuwait, USA and Jordan apart from organising four personal exhibitions.
He is also a member of institutions such as Qatari Fine Arts Society, Qatari Art and Heritage Group, Visual Arts Centre and the Youth Creative Arts Centre.
The Qatari Hosh Arts Gallery, located in the winding streets of Souq Waqif, attracted a sizeable number of visitors, including foreigners and local artists on the opening day of the exhibition. First and foremost to catch the visitors’ eyes were beautifully done ‘acrylic on canvas’ painting works by Fatima al-Naimi.
Her work is a reflection of her memories. “My children, my social media, my life, my memories, beautiful things, may be some bad things, everything I put in one composition or in one painting,” Fatima said, speaking to Community about her work.
Her paintings have a unique texture and relate more closely to real life, carrying messages scribbled in colour. She does not shy away from using striking colours. “My colours are mostly street colours. I like to be free in the choice of colours,” she added.
“Life keeps undergoing changes,” she said to explain a particular painting depicting hand movements. “In my paintings, I show the impact through the memories of the images,” she pointed out.
A graduate of Qatar University, Fatima has received many awards, including The Most Beautiful Painting in 1993 and 1994, a bronze medal for The Most Beautiful Painting in the Cultural Forum of the GC Universities at the Sultan Qaboos University among others.
She has also participated in many exhibitions and festivals, including the Summit 77 in Doha, the “Open Your Eyes” exhibition under the patronage of HE Sheikha Mayassa bint Hamad al-Thani besides forums in biennales in Cairo, Sharjah, Dakkah, Sanaa, Saudi Arabia and Beirut in addition to two personal exhibitions.
Upstairs at the Qatari Hosh Arts Gallery, Ebtisam Assafar, another Qatari artist and a graduate of Qatar University, has displayed her ‘acrylic on canvas’. It deals more with human characters and faces and is a reflection of inner feelings and relationships.
Like most art, it is also open to interpretation. Different people would gather different meanings from it as it revolves around personal feelings. “I love art and I closely observe human feelings and emotions, which reflects in my work,” Ebtisam told Community.
It is a kind of work which has appeal for every human being irrespective of gender, she added. Ebtisam has received awards from the Ministry of Education, University of Qatar, Qatar Arts Association, the Embassy of Sudan in Qatar, Qatar Tourism and Exhibitions Authority, the Qatar Supreme Council for Family Affairs 2005. She is also a board member of the Qatar Fine Arts Society (QFAS).
She has participated in most exhibitions organised by QFAS such as Painting with Words Exhibition (Atayeb Saleh Texts), the First Qatari Diar Symposium, Markhiya Gallery Exhibition and Doha Cultural Festival.
The gallery also displays work from another Qatari artist, Amal Araban. It is ‘oil on canvas’. Holding a degree in Home Economics and Nutrition, Amal has received training in courses on painting on silk, glass and ceramic from Artistic Creation Youth Center.
She has participated in local and international exhibitions, including the Diplomatic Corps Exhibition, France-Abu Dhabi Gallery, Qatar National Day Exhibition in Cyprus, China Global Expo besides representing Qatar in the Fourth World Biennale Exhibition “Women and the Arts” in Sharjah in addition to two personal exhibitions.
“This exhibition aims to highlight the artists’ diversity to public. The Qatari Hosh Arts Gallery provides a platform to support pioneers, contemporary and young artists from Qatar and other nationalities,” said Ghanim al-Ghanim, the manager of the gallery.
The tremendous support from the private sector clearly shows an awareness to support the community through culture, especially in the field of arts in Qatar, he said in conclusion.
BELOW:
1) Samples of work by artist Talal al-Qasemi on Denemark clay.
2) Acrylic on canvas by artist Ebtisam Assafar.
3) Ghanim al-Ghanim, the manager of the gallery, explaining a piece of art to visiting dignitaries.
