The New York Times Art for Tomorrow Conference will reconvene in Doha from March 10 to 13, taking place at W Doha Hotel and  Residences.
Led by award-winning New York Times journalists, this year’s event – convened in association with Qatar Museums under the patronage of HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani – will explore the tangible contributions art and cultural development can make to economic growth and national identity.
The conference also supports Qatar Museums’ position as the nation’s focal point for connecting cultures, encouraging cultural exchange and nurturing creative talent, according to a press statement.
The conference will be introduced by Arthur O Sulzberger, Jr, chairman of The New York Times Company and publisher of the New York Times, and is returning under the theme ‘Boundaries, Identity and the Public Realm’.
In discussions led by New York Times journalists, the conference will investigate the issues that occupy the territory between art and public life. Topics to be discussed at the conference will include areas of collaboration and competition among countries of the Arab world in the creation of a new cultural landscape, the challenge of heritage protection in the context of Palmyra and the impact of censorship on artistic expression.
The conference, which will bring together more than 200 world-renowned art and cultural influencers from over 30 countries, aims to deliver an informative and rich creative experience for participants.
In addition to panel sessions, delegates will have the opportunity to take part in a number of affiliated events, including private tours of the Fire Station Artists in Residence and a visit to the Picasso-Giacometti show.
Confirmed speakers include Dia Azzawi, artist; Tariq al-Jaidah, founder, Katara Art Center; Robert Wilson, artist; Christo, artist; Subodh Gupta, artist; Robbie Antonio, collector and CEO, Revolution Precrafted Properties; Idris Khan, artist; Liu Bolin, artist; Lalla Essaydi, artist; Irina Bokova, director-general, Unesco; Chris Michaels, head of Digital and Publishing, The British Museum; Yannis Behrakis, photojournalist, Reuters; Dr Andreas G?rgen, director-general for Culture and Communication, Federal Foreign Office, Germany; Adrienne Clarkson, 26th governor-general of Canada and co-chair, Institute for Canadian Citizenship; Prof Dr Hermann Parzinger, president, Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation; Vilma Jurkute, director, Alserkal Avenue; Pedro Gadanho, drector, Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology, Lisbon; Sir David Chipperfield, architect, David Chipperfield Architects; Allan Schwartzman, chief curator and creative director, Inhotim, and founder and principal, Art Agency, Partners; Daniel Tobin, co-founder and creative director, Urban Art Projects; Barthélémy Tuguo, artist and founder, Bandjoun Studio; Julien Breton (aka Kaalam), artist; Abdulnasser Gharem, artist and founder, Gharem Studio; Shaweesh, artist; Julian Payne, creative design director, De La Rue; Prof Peter Stone, Unesco chair in Cultural Property Protection and Peace, Newcastle University; Faig Ahmed, artist; Touria El Glaoui, founding director, 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair; Dr Zaki Aslan, regional representative for the Arab States, The International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property; Amanda Pinatih, art historian and curator, Design Museum Dharavi; Jorge Ma?es Rubio, artist, Design Museum Dharavi; Georgios Kaminis, mayor, City of Athens; Isabelle de La Bruyère, senior director, chairman’s office and head of Client Advisory, Europe, Middle East, Russia and India, Christie’s; Nigel Hirst, gallery director and chief executive, Saatchi Gallery London; Amalia Ulman, artist; Kongo, street artist; Cao Fei, artist; and Zoulikha Bouabdellah, artist.
Details about the conference can be found on the event website.
For news and updates about the conference, one can follow @NYTLive on Twitter. The hashtag for the conference is #NYTAFT.
The 2017 New York Times Art for Tomorrow Conference is being organised in collaboration with START Solo and supported by headline sponsors Richard Mille, and Numismatica Genevensis, bronze sponsors The Federal Foreign Office, Germany, and AlBahie Auction House as well as airline partner Qatar Airways. The host sponsors are Jaidah Holdings and W Doha Hotel and Residences.
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