Staff Reporter
THE Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUQ) will host an exhibit entitled ‘Self Representation in the Arabian Gulf’ from October 24-December 1.
This exhibition explores the themes of self-portraiture and identity in the Gulf region through lens-based media. The 12 participating artists live and work in Qatar, UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Oman. The exhibition aims at actively contributing to the contemporary arts dialogue developing in Qatar.
It poses the question: How do people in this culture, defined by strongly held beliefs and traditions yet also by rapid development and increasing wealth, perceive themselves.
“These artists’ ‘Self Representation in the Arabian Gulf’ contributes to the discussion of two important issues in the Gulf today, one is the still prevalent notion amongst traditional Arabian Gulf society of concealing one’s personal identity in public and the second is the finding of artistic identity in an environment that places a higher value on common rather than individual values,” said Jochen Sokoly, who is the VCUQ Gallery Director & Assistant Professor in Art History.
“The purpose of this exhibition is to explore what self-portraiture, or self-representation created by artists living in the Arabian Gulf says, not just about the 12 individual artists exhibited, but about the societies as a whole. The exhibition itself is not meant to have a singular definitive message, but rather welcomes many opinions and viewpoints. It is exciting to contribute to the contemporary arts dialogue developing in Doha,” added Natalie Bailey, the exhibition co-curator.
The exhibiting artists are Camille Zakharia, Tarek Al-Ghoussein, Anas Al-Shaikh, Ebtisam Abdul Aziz, Mohamed Kazem, Hassan Meer, Manal Al-Dowayan, Roqaya Al-Thani, Khalifa Al-Obaidly, Nuha Assad, Madeline McGehee, Loredana Mantello For more information please visit http://www.qatar.vcu.edu/output/page182.asp
A panel discussion with the artists will take place on October 25 at 1pm at VCUQ, which is open to the public. |
