Qatar Museums’ (QM) Fire Station: Artist in Residence, an initiative designed to grow the next generation of artistic talent in Qatar, has announced that a sixth Qatari artist will be joining its prestigious Paris Residency Programme.
As of August 15, Ahmed Nooh will be spending three months at the Cite Internationale Des Arts – one of the world’s most important art residencies, QM has said in a statement. Ahmed recently completed QM’s nine-month residency programme at the Fire Station, after which he joined 17 other artists in the recently opened ‘Dual Inspirations’ exhibition. His installation, ‘Traces of Life’, “stunned visitors with its thought-provoking commentary” on the abandonment of books. The exhibition is set to end on the October 1.
Prior to that, Ahmed was a member of the Visual Arts Centre, where he experimented with various materials to create an abstract representation of his artistic vision. Completely devoted to his passion, he is also a member of the Souq Waqif Centre for Fine Arts as well as a member of the Katara Fine Arts Association.
Commenting on the announcement, Fire Station director Khalifa al-Obaidly said: “Ahmed Nooh is a perfect example of an artist who is completely devoted to his craft. After completing the Fire Station’s rigorous nine-month programme, he now sets sail on a new adventure that I am certain will further nurture his skills and knowledge. He is the sixth artist to join the Paris Residency Programme since its launch, a testament to our country’s growing artistic and cultural sector. I look forward to welcoming him back and seeing how this experience will shape his contributions to Qatar’s art scene.”
Ahmed joins Ebtisam al-Saffar, Nasser al-Attiya, Abdullah al-Kuwari, Ghada al-Khater and Ahmed al-Jufairi, all of whom are alumni of the Paris Residency Programme. Under the patronage of its chairperson, HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, QM has been instigating Qatar’s future generation of artists, the statement notes. Just recently, it launched Studio 209 NY, an extension of its Paris Residency Programme. Qatari artists will now have the opportunity to apply for a residency at the prestigious International Studio & Curatorial Programme in New York, US. Application for the programme is open until October 1.
By providing its talents with international platforms of self-expression, QM stressed that it is helping Qatar find its own distinctive voice in today’s global cultural debates, all the while fostering a spirit of national participation.
