Art is part of our culture: Mayassa

Qatar is being turned into a ‘world class destination for culture,’ Qatar Museums (QM) chairperson HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani has said.
“As long as I can remember, art has been part of our culture. It has always been part of our identity, whether it’s preserving heritage, archaeology, excavation and collecting all sorts of art,” she told CNN International in an exclusive interview.
The QM chairperson was featured in the launch episode of CNN Style, a new monthly 30-minute programme focused on topics including art, architecture and design.
HE Sheikha Al Mayassa discussed a number of themes, including the importance of investing in culture, QM’s focus on nurturing emerging talent, bringing contemporary artists to Qatar and QM’s latest exhibition as part of the Qatar-China 2016 Year of Culture: What About the Art? Contemporary Art from China.
The exhibition, curated by renowned Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang and featuring the works of 15 of China’s most significant contemporary artists, is on show at the QM Gallery, Al Riwaq, until July 16.
During the interview, the QM chairperson spoke about transforming Qatar’s old Civil Defence building into studio spaces for artists, known as the Fire Station ‘Artist in Residence’ initiative, part of QM’s strategy to nurture emerging talent and inspire an indigenous culture of creativity and innovation.
The initiative, which began in September 2015, spans a period of nine months and offers studio space and mentoring and tutoring for 20 artists from a range of different disciplines, including art, photography, design and architecture.
“We are trying to bring the best of the best from around the world or the most influential people to think in creative ways, because creative people come up with the best solutions to times of change,” HE Sheikha Al Mayassa said.
On bringing some of the world’s leading contemporary artists to Qatar including Takashi Murakami, Damien Hirst, and most recently, Cai Guo-Qiang, to inspire future generations of artistic talent and engage the local community, HE Sheikha Al Mayassa said: “Most contemporary art is provocative. And a lot of people say for good art to be good, it should be provocative. We are very clear with the artists that you are free to decide on your exhibition, but you are not free to be insulting to our culture or traditions.”
HE Sheikha Al Mayassa also discussed the power of art and the effect it has on shaping culture and acting as a valuable bridge between cultures.
“Art is very powerful because it has no boundaries and you don’t need to belong to any country, or religion or social class. It brings people from all walks of life together to talk about an idea. There is no limit to it.”
The interview will be aired again on CNN International as part of CNN Style at the following times: Today: 12.30pm and 7.30pm; April 16: 8.30am and 9.30pm and April 18: 3.30pm.