By Umer Nangiana

 

 He is the one who gets inspiration from what others see as trivial to create masterpieces of art that go on to inspire hundreds and impress thousands. His first stroke with art and inventiveness happened long before he got acquainted with the meaning of the terms.

Intuitively driven, he once carved a tree trunk into a sculpture when he was just a child. He would draw sketches on walls with charcoal that he would find from stoves.

Like the very sources of his inspiration; quietness of sea, flatness of desert and the serenity of the sky, Yousef Ahmed’s artwork is abstract to the very core yet abundantly expressive in both meaning and form.

One of his paintings, Letter of Love III, a mixed media on canvas signed and dated 2008, was sold for $16, 000 at Sotheby’s Doha auction last Monday.

Ahmed, the premier Qatari artist, is unique in method, distinct in style and elaborate in expression. He has been using paper mash with mixed media for his paintings for a very long time but lately shifted to the paper produced locally from the palm trees in Qatar.

“The relationship between me and the paper goes back long. In fact I drive myself crazy to dig and find handmade paper from different parts of the world; from India, Nepal, Japan, Thailand, Europe and America,” Ahmed tells Community at Anima Gallery on the sidelines of another exhibition where he was invited as one of the guests.

“This has been happening for more than 40 years. If you go back to my early work you would see how I use this kind of paper collected from outside of Qatar. But, lately like 8-9 years ago, I asked myself why I do not use paper produced from our tree here, the palm tree. So that’s when I began doing so,” says the veteran artist.

In order to make himself an expert at handmade paper, he attended workshops and got acquainted with the process. He says most recently his main medium for his painting has been Qatar’s palm tree paper.

His method is very different and ideas distinct. Where does he get inspiration for such ideas?

“Our environment for me as a local artist is really rich. It is abstract. You see here, our desert is flat. There are no mountains or valleys. And also the water here from the Gulf sea is very quiet,” he responds.

“Imagine water is quiet, desert is flat, sky is clear. These are the three elements that I work with. They are the abstract elements,” the artist explains.  

He wonders why some people, “perhaps they are not educated in that sense,” do not see such kind of thought-provoking elements in Qatar. Besides using handmade paper as a medium for his paintings, Ahmed blends it with calligraphy, at which he is also an expert thanks to his Arabic and Muslim heritage.

“I used to be a calligrapher for a daily newspaper long time ago in the beginnings of 70s. So the environment, local medium, Arabic calligraphy, all put together represent Qatar and its contemporary image in my work,” says Ahmed.

Yousef Ahmed’s keen interest in recording and archiving the development of Qatari art, as well as the fact that he has regularly represented the country at international biennials and events globally, has given him a special standing as an artist, art advisor, and writer.

“As you know Qatar has changed a lot. Even from 2000 to 2014, there is a big difference. We have a vision for 2030 and I am involved in that because I represent Qatar outside and which I believe I am doing through my artwork,” Ahmed says.

In an interesting analogy, he sees his country and himself as identical beings.  

“I believe Qatar is like me. We don’t stop and try to walk at the same pace. The country tries to walk fast and jump. The artist is the same. The artist, I believe, if he repeats himself like painting camels or tents or these kinds of ordinary elements, he will not be able to prove himself. He will never progress,” says the visionary Qatari artist.  

He says his artistic career has been the same as that of Qatar; developing at a pace. “I cannot stop in one place. I always yearn to progress. An artist never stops. There is no way to stop. The only way forward is to experience and experiment,” says Ahmed.

He attaches great importance to the palm tree, which he uses to produce handmade paper, as it is also mentioned in Qura’n and carries huge benefits. He says palm has become part of every house in Qatar. People see it going in and out of their houses and thus the bond between “us and the palm tree has further strengthened.”

He believes he adds to the benefits of palm tree by producing paper and using it in his artwork.

Calligraphy and painting always went hand in hand for Ahmed as a beginner some four decades ago.

Born in Doha, Qatar in 1955, Ahmed developed his initial interest in art in his school years, travelling to Egypt after graduation to study art at Cairo (now Helwan) University. Upon his return in 1976, his first government appointment was as manager of the Culture and Arts Department within the Ministry of Information.

In 1982, he travelled to the USA to complete a master’s degree, specialising in painting. Around the same time, there was a significant shift in his approach: a new inclination for larger-scale works and a unique use of colour, material, and technique.

“I represent Qatar as I mentioned and the colour here is earthy and dusty, unfocused and fade. So I am using this desert. I am also using pigment from Qatar, from ground and earth of Qatar to give it (my work) the whole smell of Qatar,” says Ahmed.

Returning from the US to Qatar, Ahmad taught art appreciation at Qatar University, a post he held for more than 20 years. With Mohammed Ali Abdulla and Hassan al-Mulla, he formed the art group The Three Friends.

During his teaching career, Ahmad met Sheikh Hassan bin Mohamed bin Ali al-Thani and the two formed a strong bond through their shared love of art.

Ahmed was instrumental in working with Sheikh Hassan to collect significant works of Arab art from Qatar and abroad, which led to the foundation collections for the Orientalist Museum and Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art.

“I have really enjoyed it. God had ordained for me to be an artist. I did not want to be a businessman, or a journalist or editor or anything. I think the field of art is incredible. It is great. It is emotion,” says Ahmed about his artistic journey, recalling his evolution as an artist.  

“With all these political things and terrible things happening in the whole world all around you, you need some time to sit with yourself,” believes the artist. “When you take up colours, brushes and put it on canvas, it is meditation for me. My art is my refreshment,” he adds.

About the painting piece that was sold at Sotheby’s Doha auction recently, Ahmed says the good artwork would sell many times over and would always get a better price.

His work has featured at Sotheby’s and Christie’s many times before as well. 

“This piece I had sold for $6,000 in 2008. In Dubai, somebody bought it from me, then she sold it to somebody in London and then from there it came again to Qatar. So the price has been going up. The estimate was 10-15 and it sold for $16,000 at Sotheby’s auction,” says Ahmed.

He has exhibited throughout the United States, Europe, and the Arab world multiple times through his career. Next up, Qatar Museums Authority (QMA), he reveals, is holding a grand exhibition for him next month in building 10 Katara Cultural Village.

 

 

 

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