Hamad International Airport (HIA) in celebration of World Art Day revealed yesterday a new art piece named ‘Wings’ by International Artists Doha (IAD) and, sponsored by Qatar Airways.
‘Wings’ is installed at concourse B at the airport and will be on temporarily display.
The inspiration behind ‘Wings’ comes from the basic structure of an airplane wing. Standing 7m wide, and 2.80m high, the piece is filled with the diverse artistic works of
17 IAD Artists.
The main abstract outlay of ‘Wings’ embraces several pieces of frames that represent each artist’s unique style. The artwork is stretched across a 20sq m grey coloured wall made of wooden partition carrying the weight of the piece, which resembles the serene neutral colour of a safe flight.
At the backside of the ‘Wings’ artwork, IAD artists have provided a space for travelling passengers to interact with the public art and to express their thoughts about ‘travelling’. Colour markers and pencils are provided next to the art piece to establish dialogue with travellers.
Abdulaziz al-Mass, vice president – Marketing and Corporate Communications at HIA, commented: “We are delighted to host the creative artwork of International Artists of Doha in HIA. We trust that this art piece will inspire our passengers and better define their experiences at the airport. HIA brings in a number of very dynamic and seasoned Artists that contribute continuously and significantly to the development of HIA’s art space and culture. We would like to thank International Artists Doha for their creative display and efforts in contributing to make the airport a unique location for arts and
culture.”
Commenting on the day, Willy Kempel, Austrian ambassador to Qatar and IAD chairman said: “We are proud to have the opportunity to showcase our creativity in such a vibrant art space. We would like to thank HIA for recognising IAD work and celebrating World Art Day through our new public art piece, Wings. We hope that travellers at Hamad International Airport will find joy in our diverse artistic approaches used in the piece. We also thank Qatar Airways and in particular the Group chief executive HE Akbar al-Baker, for the generous support in sponsoring this
installation. ”
IAD have been established in 2011 by two Dutch expat artists. From the very beginning, IAD was conceptualised as a non-profit organisation open to national as well as international artists living and working
in Doha.
IAD artists are engaged in expressing their vision of contemporary art contributing to the artistic scene in Qatar as well as engaging in social activities. Moreover, the group provides its members with a platform for sharing experiences in learning from one another and in interacting with other artists from around the globe. Currently the annual show-case exhibition of the group can be visited until May 5 at the 29 Floor Gallery at the W
Hotel Doha.
HIA features a fascinating selection of art, curated in partnership with Qatar Museums. The airport’s continuous investments and effort towards arts stems from their focused vision for culture to be a central and enriching part of the passenger’s travel experience and environment.
HIA has been recently ranked as the fourth ‘Best Airport in the World’ by Skytrax World Airport Awards 2019. HIA has also retained its five-star Airport status and was honoured with the title of ‘Best Airport in the Middle East’ for the fifth year in a row and ‘Best Staff Service in the Middle East’ for the fourth year in a row.

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