Qatar Museums’ (QM) Artist in Residence programme, particularly the Paris edition, has influenced and impacted Qatari artists “very positively,” further inspiring them to pursue their passion, Fire Station’s director Khalifa al-Obaidli has said.
In an exclusive interview with the Gulf Times, al-Obaidli cited the experience of Ebtisam al-Saffar – the first Qatari artist to complete the Artist in Residence programme in Paris, France – saying the initiative has significantly helped in developing her artistic talent.
“When Ebtisam al-Saffar came back from Paris, she couldn’t go back to her day job and thought about retiring,” al-Obaidli told Gulf Times in a recent interview.
“Now, she is a full-time artist, who is living her passion,” noted the Fire Station chief.
The Paris Residency is a unique programme organised under the patronage of QM’s Chairperson HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani.
Hosted at the Qatar Studio at the renowned Cite internationale des Arts in France, the programme enabled five Qatari artists so far to have a studio space in one of the biggest and most important art residencies in the world. This unique experience allowed them to interact with other artists from around the world.
Other artists who completed the Paris programme are Nasser al-Attiya, Abdullah al-Kuwari and Ghada al-Khater. Ahmed al-Jufairi is currently finishing the last month of his residency and is expected to come back very soon.
Asked how he would describe Qatari artists and their work, al-Obaidli said “they are active, creative and full of potential, but they also need to do a lot of research to give them solid ground for their art works. This is precisely what we try to give them through the residency programme with the help of mentors and guides.”
He also noted that Qatari artists received positive feedback from the international art community particularly during the Contemporary Art Qatar in Berlin, Germany last year. The exhibition was part of QM’s Qatar Germany Year of Culture which took place last year. The initiative was a mutual exchange of arts, culture and sport between the two countries. It was organised in partnership with the Goethe-Institut Gulf Region and the German Embassy Doha. The broad and varied programme included a number of high profile organisations in Qatar such as the Qatar National Library, Doha Film Institute, Katara, and the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra.
“The exhibition was met with very positive feedback, and this year, we will take the exhibition to St Petersburg in Russia. We look forward to hearing what Russian audiences will think about these works,” al-Obaidli said.
He also expressed confidence that the Qatari artists who will be selected for the three-month New York art residency (Studio 209 NY) early next year will greatly benefit from the exposure the opportunity provides them with. The new residency, which aims to nurture the next generation of artistic talent in the country, is the second extension of QM’s International Residency Programme, after Paris.
Khalifa al-Obaidli.
