The Mal Lawal Biennale features artefacts, manuscripts, weapons, Islamic collections, old maps, ethnographic/heritage items, antiques, jewellery, clothing and accessories from 1930s. PICTURE: Anas Khalid.
By Joey Aguilar
Staff Reporter
The second Mal Lawal exhibition organised by Qatar Museums (QM) will feature around 4,000 collections from 110 participants at the Doha Exhibition Centre (DEC) from Tuesday until the end of February 2015. At least 42 of the collectors are from other GCC countries.
Mal Lawal, which means “from the old days,” draws upon the personal collections of local private collectors across Qatar and other GCC countries showcased in 11 categories over a 5,000sqm area.
At a press preview on Sunday, Nasser al-Hammadi, chairman and curator of Mal Lawal Biennale at QM, told reporters that they are expecting around 50,000 visitors this year.
He said they moved to a bigger area to accommodate the growing number of participants and visitors. QM encourages collectors to participate by contributing some their pieces which they feel reflect the region’s heritage and culture.
Some of the “visual treasures” exhibited at the DEC include all categories of rare collections such as artefacts, manuscripts, weapons, Islamic collections, old maps, ethnographic/heritage items, antiques, jewellery, clothing and accessories from 1930s. Citing a number of expensive collections, al-Hammadi noted that a thermos and coffee pots now cost about QR150,000.
QM also exhibits some collections of Qataris and from other GCC nationals which cannot be brought to DEC. “Many of them are Qataris who own huge collections in their houses and have 30 years of experience in collecting,” al-Hammadi said.
Original works by contemporary Qatari artists will also be featured at Mal Lawal Biennale, organised under the patronage of HE Sheikha Mayassa bint Hamad al-Thani.
Outreach and education (workshops) programmes for children forms part of the activities at the two-and-a-half-month exhibition, according to al-Hammadi.
“Last time it was like a bazaar where many shops were set up,” said al-Hammadi. “This year we help and taught them how to fix their collections. Every year we try to improve ourselves and our technologies.”
However, the QM official stressed that encouraging people to do collecting is not easy, “it should come from the heart.” A good collector, he pointed out, should speak and meet with a lot of people, share a lot of galleries, and read about collections.
Hani al-Asousi, a collector from Kuwait and an owner of a private museum, showed some of his collections, mostly old and antique cameras. It included what he claimed as the smallest camera in the world.
A first-timer at Mal Lawal, al-Asousi said he also had a wide collection of watches. In 2012, the Mal Lawal exhibition had given collectors and artists an opportunity to display their works that depicted Qatar’s tradition and history.
