‘The Colours of Desert’ exhibition displays works of Doha-based artists

The Colours of Desert art exhibition, which features the works of seven Doha-based artists, is open at Gallery 2, Building 19, at Katara – the Cultural Village.  Organised jointly by the Middle East Art and Silk Painters (MAPS), a chapter of US-based Silk Painters International, and Katara, the fourth annual group exhibition was inaugurated by Katara deputy general manager for operations Ahmad Abdulrahman al-Sayed and Indian ambassador P Kumaran. It will be open from 10am to 10pm until December 27.“Our theme ‘The Colours of Desert’ refers to the desert sand as it contains vibrant colours. These are talented artists who are exhibiting under one roof,” MAPS founder Rashmi Agarwal explained. “They represent various nationalities that display different cultures in an innovative method.”According to Agarwal, MAPS now has a total of 68 Qatar-based members. She describes the group as an innovative social art community that uses art as a medium to empower men and women and “to nurture the careers of learners, practitioners and budding art lovers.”Apart from Agarwal, an Indian national, the six other exhibitors are AbdulRahman Abdulla Aldorani from Qatar, Fouad al-Emadi from Kuwait, Moudhi from Qatar, Khaled Elmesawy from Egypt, Ziyad Tariq Baqir Lateef al-Ubaidi from Iraq and Sylvia Gomes from South Africa.Agarwal’s theme this year titled ‘Moments’ portrays the moment before the universe had been created and how things such as nature came into existence. A master of silk art, she developed several silk painting techniques.“Silk painting is popular in Qatar, Arabic people love silk, they love to wear and work with it. Silk is natural fibre and it is one of the most luxurious fabrics in the world,” she noted, citing an increasing number of silk painters in the country.Other artists like Aldorani focuses on general moves along two trajectories: realism and expressionism to document the heritage of his country while incorporating modern innovations. Al-Emadi, a fine artist, has participated in many exhibitions in Qatar and in Morocco, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and in other countries. Moudhi is a fine artist who also does silk painting and photography. She received a number of awards, including the Anqa International Exhibition Golden Award in 2014 and the Arabian Woman Award in 2013.Elmesawy, also a member of Society of Fine Arts in Qatar and Souq Waqif Art Centre, graduated at the Arabic Calligraphy Institute with honours. One of his paintings at the exhibition is a portrait of HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.Al-Ubaidi, who graduated from Baghdad Fine Arts College, specialises in oil photography. He received the best wall mosaic design prize at Makkah.Art has been part of Gomes’ life since a child. While she loves being a designer, the artist claims she feels free when she paints. Her background in Africa plays a large influence in her work.