Artists from Qatar and Brazil come together to
showcase their works, bringing to fore the identity
and cultural spirit of both countries. By Anand Holla
At Katara’s Building 13, on Tuesday evening, a stream of varied colours, shapes and ideas told a good many stories, and yet they seemed to speak one language – that of intense reflection.
Featuring works of four Qatari and four Brazilian artists, Qatar and Brazil: A Contemporary Painting Dialogue exhibition – hosted as part of the Qatar Brazil 2014 Year of Culture – opened in fine style.
Through 40 paintings, five from each of the eight artists, the exhibition explores the issues of identity and the cultural spirit through contemporary art. By filtering in the colours and moods of their respective homelands, the artists have created a dialogue of Qatari and Brazilian perspectives.
The Brazilian artists, for instance, have worked with the four vibrant Brazilian national colours – green, yellow, blue and white – lending a cohesive feel to their disparate styles. Brazilian artist-curator Luiz Dolino, who curated the exhibition, told Community, “This is just the beginning. I wish this exchange of ideas and stories continues for years to come. When it comes to culture, we need real presence. Hence the artists themselves must be present so as to meet and engage in a dialogue.”
Despite different sensibilities and styles, there seems to be an earnest attempt on part of all the artists at reflecting on their themes. While Qatari artist Yousef al-Sada uses acrylics to create symbols with bold colours in his series titled Philosophy of Luck, Amal al-Aathem’s art revolves around women in the Gulf and the issues concerning them.
In a flurry of brushstrokes and using some playing cards as a motif, al-Sada airs his views on the social habits within the Qatari society. His paintings represent his feelings and “his strong belief in the effect of luck on the human being and life in general.” Al-Aathem’s Above the Moon is arresting in its use of textiles, fibres, colours and inks to convey the concept of women and the moon, and question whether women are the centre of the universe.
Titled The Beginning, Ahmed al-Musaifri’s series turns to a colourful ambience and stereographs, while leaving the interpretation wide open to the audience. Likewise with Lolwa al-Meghaiseeb’s series of works that seem to hold many narratives. A graphic designer and a member of the Qatar Fine Art Association with a Bachelor’s Degree in Art Education, al-Meghaiseeb’s strong visual sense is evident in her works.
The four chosen Brazilian artists, including Dolino himself, are of the same generation, “with similar trajectories and indisputable recognition.” Dolino said, “The idea of gathering four Brazilian artists for this exhibition was based on the fundamental interest of demonstrating the versatility of the language and the richness of the multiple forms of artistic expression in Brazil. The works displayed have been specially designed for this occasion.”
Surrealist Fernando Duval’s delightfully vibrant imaginary world is a distant planet inhabited by characters that exist only in his inspiration. “All the work is a permanent illustration of this imaginary planet, its geography, topography, forests, animals, characters and all elements able to tell the story of a surreal world,” says the note to his works.
While noted painter, poet and psychoanalyst Ronaldo Miranda has chosen the landscape as an expression of his language for his thought-stirring series titled Carioca’s Landscape, abstract painter Ronaldo Macedo’s untitled oil on canvas works take up the challenge of creating five paintings limited to just four colours that stand for Brazilian national identity.
As for Dolino, who is known for his grasp over geometric language, his striking acrylic on canvas series titled Letters to Brazil I, II, III, IV and V conveys the consistency of abstract and geometric languages. His inspiration for these works, he says, is the old format of the envelopes of mail letters.
On the whole, the experience offers an interesting cross-cultural perspective on the contemporary art of Qatar and Brazil. The exhibition is open till November 1.
