Arts represent the finest forms of expression of human aspirations, emotions and dreams. It embodies his role in the reconstruction of the land, the dissemination of knowledge and building a society of dignity, peace and justice.
The world celebrates the World Art Day on April 15 each year. It was proclaimed at the 40th session of Unesco’s General Conference in 2019 as a celebration to promote the development, diffusion and enjoyment of art. The World Art Day celebrations help reinforce the links between artistic creations and society, encourage greater awareness of the diversity of artistic expressions and highlight the contribution of artists to sustainable development.
In remarks to Qatar News Agency (QNA) on the occasion, visual artist and critics stressed the significance of the World Art Day in highlighting the artistic and aesthetic heritage of nations and peoples, and the role of artists in documenting, inspiring and reflecting the civilized state of societies.
On the other hand, they commended the renaissance taking place in the State of Qatar in the field of arts, the efforts of institutions concerned with culture in nurturing creativity and creators, and the ability of artists to develop their tools and methods and respond to the challenges of the times.
Artist Salman Al Malek stressed the importance and necessity of betting on culture in its comprehensive sense, visual arts and plastic creativity in particular, and the importance of the World Art Day in highlighting the artistic visual heritage with its material and non-material components in human civilizations, and the role of the artist in documenting, inspiring and reflecting the civilized state of societies. Since the dawn of time.
Al Malek noted the comprehensive artistic renaissance in Qatari society and the interest of state institutions in sponsoring art and artists through the efforts led by Qatar Museums, where the country has turned into an open museum of creativity, by promoting the culture of visual arts in society, and establishing arts in every part of the country during the hosting of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, with the participation of Qatari and international artists, who created sculptures, artefacts and paintings inspired by the culture of the Qatari society, and highlighted the State of Qatar's celebration of cultural diversity on its land and its interest in international arts.
He said that he had the honour to participate in this effort through two artistic figures, both of which were inspired by the Qatari social heritage.
Al Malek indicated that the interest in art and the arts represents a measure of the state's interest in people, at the same time, it highlights the importance of the artist in his society as a maker of beauty and an expression of the spirit, dreams and aspirations of societies, peoples and nations.
Renowned Iraqi artist Ismail Azzam said that the concept of art is evolving, and the artist's tools are developing and renewed over time and ages, which reflects the ability of creativity to absorb social changes and cultural transformations of societies and nations, and the ability of creators to develop their methods of expressing these changes through art and beauty.
Among the most important contemporary challenges facing artists, Azzam noted, is recognizing the right of each generation to develop its tools and methods in a way that suits its era, including the transition from traditional tools to the era of the digital and virtual world and the expressive tools associated with it.
He indicated that the celebration of the World Art Day this year comes amidst changing social, cultural and political circumstances and conditions that cast a shadow over the world, including pandemics, wars, and environmental and political changes that affected art and creativity in general and plastic arts in particular. However, artists continue still have the hope, and will continue to express the aspirations of people in justice, peace and dignity.
Azzam noted the renaissance in museums, arts and culture in Qatar, and the richness of art exhibitions and creative programs organized by Qatar Museums, which represent a continuous celebration of art and creativity.
He said that the art workshops he supervises at the Museum of Islamic Art and Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art embodied a model for the museum and societys relationship, stimulating creativity, exchanging experiences, and raising awareness of modern and contemporary art. These workshops contributed to the promotion and renewal of artistic and intellectual dialogue in a multinational society, as well as the beautiful blending between local and international culture.
Egyptian art critic Dr. Khalid Al Baghdadi stressed the important role of art in bringing about a quantum leap in society, as it is a state of constant passion for all the details of life.
He noted that Unesco’s celebration of the World Art Day comes to draw the attention of the world to the importance of arts in our contemporary life, and that arts are not just a luxury or something complementary, but rather a necessity of life for modern man.
Al Baghdadi stressed the role of the arts in improving thinking, awareness and human sense, and its importance in revitalizing the imagination and renewing the energies of the mind, as well as the feeling that life is beautiful, and that aesthetic education that uses culture, arts and all the elements of beauty in nature is a necessary education in stimulating creativity, adapting to life conditions and improving reality, which reflects positively on the lives of individuals and the society in general.
