The exhibitions in Qatar include a world-class retrospective by Iraqi artist Dia al-Azzawi, which will be open in October this year to the public in two venues at the same time – Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, and the QM Gallery Al Riwaq.
The exhibition, showcasing over 350 works across 50 years and a range of media, aims at mapping an itinerary of modernism and profiles the practice of the Iraqi artist.
The retrospective is organised into two parts, with each one tracing a trajectory of the artist’s practice: one charting the relation between image and text in Azzawi’s work, and the other following the artist’s engagement with the key moments in the political history of modern Iraq and the Arab world.
Curated by Catherine David, the monograph of one of the most renowned modern artists of the Arab world is scheduled to open on October 16 at Mathaf and 17 at Al Riwaq.
There is also the unveiling of Asl? Çavu?o?lu’s Red/Red, an installation which will be on display at the Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art Project Space.
The other upcoming exhibitions include the annual end of residency exhibition at the Fire Station, and Fragments: an exhibition by Iraqi-Canadian artist Mahmoud Obaidi.
As part of the ongoing Qatar-China Year of Culture 2016, QM will also launch the exhibition ‘Treasures of China’ at the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, as well as host a joint exhibition with the Zhejiang Province Department of Culture – in both the QM Gallery in Katara and in the province of Zhejiang in China – to document the recently held exchange programme between a number of photographers from each country.
Also, as one of the major highlights of the year-long cultural exchange initiative, QM will launch Pearls: Jewels from the Sea at the National Museum of China in Beijing.
From May 22 until September 11, Turkish artist Asl? Çavu?o?lu will display her installation Red / Red at the Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art Project Space. The installation comprises 17 pieces, including handmade notebooks of drawings and paintings made with red pigments from Armenia and Turkey.
Çavu?o?lu will deliver a related public talk on May 22, discussing the disappearance of Armenian red as a material, and also how she views her work as a proposal for a model of co-existence for the inhabitants of the region to protect and develop the natural ecosystem that produces the pigment.
After nine successful months, the current Artist in Residency programme at the Fire Station will draw to a close on June 2 and the occasion will be celebrated with the annual end of residency exhibition at the Garage Gallery.
Celebrating the accomplishments of the current artists in residence, it will showcase selected works from the artists from their nine months in residency, incorporating a variety of processes, research, prototypes, and finished outcomes.
Opening on October 18 at the QM Gallery in Katara Cultural Village, QM will present Fragments, an exhibition by contemporary Iraqi-Canadian artist Mahmoud Obaidi.
The artist retraces the 'organised chaos' that led to the destruction of Iraq, and presents a response to witnessing the city of Baghdad fall piece by piece. In his work Obaidi recreates what has been stolen or destroyed to try to piece the city back together again.
The exhibition shows how Obaidi is grappling with the destruction of an 8,000-year-old civilisation, which has been laid waste in less than a fraction of that time.
In September, the Qatar China 2016 Year of Culture presents the exhibition ‘Treasures of China.’ Terracotta soldiers from the First Emperor’s Terracotta Army will be on show at the Museum of Islamic Art.
The exhibition will display 101 pieces dating from the Neolithic period to the Qing Dynasty, spanning over 5,000 years of China’s history. Potteries, bronzes, jades, porcelains, gold, silver, enamel and many other Chinese treasures will be on show, selected from 11 museums and heritage institutions from across China.
Additionally, following its huge success in Japan, the UK, Brazil and Turkey, QM will again launch Pearls: Jewels from the Sea, which this time will travel to China, to be on show at the National Museum of China from September 27.
The exhibition presents the history and legend, mythology and meaning of pearls and pearl jewellery from Qatar and around the world, and contains more than 100 pieces from around the world including the Gulf, Europe and Asia.
The exhibition reflects QM’s focus on art, creativity and heritage, and is in alignment with the organisation’s vision of taking pieces out of its museums and taking them to other cultural destinations around the world.
Finally, a unique joint exhibition documenting a recently held exchange programme between photographers from Doha and the Zhejiang Province Department of Culture in China will present different aspects of the cultures and societies of both countries.
The photography exhibition, designed to showcase the best works from Qatari and Chinese photographers, aims to capture real people in their natural environments.
Photographers from two different nations documented their journeys as moments captured in time; engaging in an inspiring exchange of artistic discovery and cultural dialogue.
The exhibition will open in the QM Gallery in Katara Cultural Village in October, and then in the province of Zhejiang, China in November.
