Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha has dedicated a part of its museum to a new display of work by Qatari artist Hana al-Saadi.
On show until May 13, the installation titled ‘Proposal for a Public Sculpture’ is on view in Mathaf’s Project Space, dedicated to emerging artists and curators’ experimentations with new ideas and forms of presentation.
Presented by Qatar Museums (QM) under the leadership of its chairperson, HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, ‘Proposal for a Public Sculpture’ is al-Saadi’s first solo presentation.
The project invites al-Saadi to explore experimental processes of research, production, and conceptual thinking to develop a proposal for a public sculpture in Doha, literally giving her the space and time to develop her research around tendencies of self-expression and social rituals, and the role of public art in Doha.
Curated by Laura Barlow, curator at Mathaf, the installation takes the shape of the artist’s studio, featuring a library of working documents, books, and recorded interviews, a display of working drawings and sculpture maquettes and a meeting point for conversations and debate.
The installation will evolve over the course of its three-month lifespan through dialogue with the Mathaf teams, the public, creative and spatial practitioners and academics through open forum discussions.
At the completion of the project on May 13, al-Saadi will hold a public talk with Barlow to discuss the project process and research highlights. “Al-Saadi is a promising emerging contemporary artist, educated and graduated in Qatar. Her art practice is very innovative and bringing discussion about our societies’ heritage and aspirations,” Mathaf director Abdellah Karroum said. “We are proud to dedicate Mathaf’s Project Space to emerging artists to develop original works in collaboration with curators, a key part of our strategy in making museums contributing to nurture and support artists throughout their careers,” the Mathaf senior official added.
Al-Saadi holds a BFA in Painting and Printmaking from Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar and recently took part in the largest exhibition of art from Qatar titled Contemporary Art Qatar in Berlin’s legendary Kraftwerk space.
Al-Saadi has also been an artist in residence at the Fire Station during the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 season. Her work can be seen in the collections of QM and VCUarts Qatar. Mathaf houses the largest and most extensive permanent collection of modern and contemporary art in the region, mainly focusing on the region and its historical and cultural connection from North Africa to Asia, and from Turkey and Iran. Mathaf has more than 9,000 works in its care, dating from the 19th century to the present day.
In addition to the public talk, a number of educational events and initiatives will be taking place as part of this installation’s exhibitions.
A Qatari artist’s art piece titled ‘Hmmm’ in 2017.
