The highly anticipated ‘Skate Girls of Kabul’ exhibition by renowned British photographer Jessica Fulford-Dobson officially opened on Wednesday at the QM Gallery in Katara, marking its first appearance in the Middle East. The exhibition runs until October 21.
A major show presented by Qatar Museums (QM) under the leadership of its chairperson, HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, 'Skate Girls of Kabul' features 40 stunning images of Afghani girls between the ages of five and 25 who use skateboards as a unique means of transportation to attend school.
Skateistan, an award-winning international nonprofit organisation empowering youth and children through skateboarding and education, is supporting the programme.
It provides skate parks as a hook to get children from disadvantaged families back into the educational system.
According to QM, the "hopeful and tenacious spirit" of the exhibition is meant to resonate with the local community and echo its mission of inspiring education through creative approaches.
“The Skate Girls of Kabul opening night event was a true reflection of the spirit of the show.
The photographs emitted a sense of hopefulness and perseverance, reaching out into the audience to grab the guests’ attention with their subjects’ determined gazes," QM's chief strategic planning officer Khalid al-Ibrahim said.
He added that the "powerful show is yet another example of QM’s focus on bringing high-profile exhibitions to Qatar with the aim of inspiring an indigenous culture of creativity and innovation". Fulford-Dobson first met the girls in 2012 and knew their story had to be told, citing their determination and the unique way in which they created a skating culture entirely their own.
“That kept me coming back to the skate park day after day to capture this pocket of hope.
It’s hard to put into words how captivating this young skateboarding community was to be around but I hope that’s precisely what the photographs will show,” she said.
“That’s why I chose to work with natural light and in the original setting of the skate park, letting these girls’ personalities shine through the images,” the photographer noted.
She hopes the photo series captures the children’s joy of skating, individuality and the unique community they built around their shared experiences.
Alongside the exhibition, QM has constructed a skating ramp inside the gallery space.
Exhibition guests will be able to try their hand at skateboarding by using skateboards and helmets that will be made available to visitors.
A robust education programme was also launched to complement the Skate Girls of Kabul exhibition, including summer camps, school visits and a series of community workshops that will allow participants to engage in art making in new and unexpected ways.
A community workshop will allow participants to use skateboards as paint brushes to create beautiful imagery, while another will allow guests to design and decorate their own skateboard.
QM added that a more in-depth workshop will ask participants to build characters out of clay based on the exhibited 'Skate Girls of Kabul' photographs, which will be used to create a short animation.
Skateistan, an award-winning international nonprofit organisation empowering youth and children through skateboarding and education, is supporting the programme.
It provides skate parks as a hook to get children from disadvantaged families back into the educational system.
According to QM, the "hopeful and tenacious spirit" of the exhibition is meant to resonate with the local community and echo its mission of inspiring education through creative approaches.
“The Skate Girls of Kabul opening night event was a true reflection of the spirit of the show.
The photographs emitted a sense of hopefulness and perseverance, reaching out into the audience to grab the guests’ attention with their subjects’ determined gazes," QM's chief strategic planning officer Khalid al-Ibrahim said.
He added that the "powerful show is yet another example of QM’s focus on bringing high-profile exhibitions to Qatar with the aim of inspiring an indigenous culture of creativity and innovation". Fulford-Dobson first met the girls in 2012 and knew their story had to be told, citing their determination and the unique way in which they created a skating culture entirely their own.
“That kept me coming back to the skate park day after day to capture this pocket of hope.
It’s hard to put into words how captivating this young skateboarding community was to be around but I hope that’s precisely what the photographs will show,” she said.
“That’s why I chose to work with natural light and in the original setting of the skate park, letting these girls’ personalities shine through the images,” the photographer noted.
She hopes the photo series captures the children’s joy of skating, individuality and the unique community they built around their shared experiences.
Alongside the exhibition, QM has constructed a skating ramp inside the gallery space.
Exhibition guests will be able to try their hand at skateboarding by using skateboards and helmets that will be made available to visitors.
A robust education programme was also launched to complement the Skate Girls of Kabul exhibition, including summer camps, school visits and a series of community workshops that will allow participants to engage in art making in new and unexpected ways.
A community workshop will allow participants to use skateboards as paint brushes to create beautiful imagery, while another will allow guests to design and decorate their own skateboard.
QM added that a more in-depth workshop will ask participants to build characters out of clay based on the exhibited 'Skate Girls of Kabul' photographs, which will be used to create a short animation.
