Storytelling traditions vary all over the world, yet have many things in common. Storytelling has been an ancient and intimate tradition between the storyteller and their audience. The storyteller reveals, and thus shares, him/her self through his/her telling and the audience reveal and share themselves through their reception of the story. People have been using different means to tell their stories.
Yasser al-Mulla is a young Qatari artist who used lines in his drawings to tell stories, has been showcasing as many as 22 of his drawings at ART29, a gallery in W Doha Hotel & Residences. The hotel is known for hosting exhibitions for young and buddying artists.
The moving art exhibition ‘Lines telling a story’ was inaugurated on Saturday night in the presence of artists, art lovers and media. The month-long exhibition will continue till June 18 from 10am to 10pm every day.
The drawings on the display attempt to ‘raise questions’ in his art and depict his thoughts using discursive, achromatic lines. The exhibition takes art lovers and enthusiasts through a moving journey through al-Mulla’s eyes.
Known for his black and white line technique, al-Mulla – who has a colour-mixed optic condition – believes the line technique is limitless and that he can attract people to the ideas inside his brain through endless lines. He attempts to present his own through ambiguous thin and thick black lines against a vacant white space. Each drawing illustrates a story and when put all together, the collection inevitably depicts his life journey that come together through meandering lines and geometric shapes.
An engineer by trade, al-Mulla studied at Qatar University and Law at Cairo University, but did not begin drawing until 2015. He found his true passion and motivation by telling his story through drawings. Al-Mulla does not have an exact plan in mind before he draws, but rather a preliminary abstraction of what to include.
Talking to Community, Yasser said, “As an artist, I want to express my feelings. I want to show people that the art can have different feelings. Art can have different subjects. The subjects in the exhibition are stories from daily life. Art can be simple and beautiful at the same time.
“I have 22 art pieces here. Each piece is comprised of two papers. One paper carries the drawing and the other carries the story. The stories have some wisdom to share with the visitors. I am trying to tell the people to stand up and fight back in life. Life is very beautiful. We just need to appreciate it and the people around us. Life is combination of love, sorrow and sickness. Human is very complicated.”
Sharing how he started drawing, Yasser said, “I did not study art. Only three years ago, I started painting and drawing. I have taken part in many group exhibitions in Doha. Last year, I took part in an exhibition in Russia.
“It is very weird that how I got attracted towards the art. I had a dream of tsunami one night. I woke up in panic. I just got a pen and started drawing lines. Since that night, I have been drawing. I did not know what kind of art it was actually. But, it makes me very relaxed when I do it.”
For Yasser a line is an unlimited thing. “If you will start drawing a line tonight and keep drawing it for 100 years, it will never end. In life there are lots of things to say. So, the line is an endless way of explaining yourself. For example, in one of my drawings, I am talking about someone who is suffering from anxiety. One day he thinks to go home and take away all his bad thoughts and anxiety. He drops the bad thinking and bad ideas.
“The different levels of thickness of lines for me represent different colours. In only black using different fonts, I try to say different things. It is may be the first exhibition in black and white in Doha telling stories. Different circles in different paints represent various thoughts.”
He thinks that Doha has become very attractive for artists around the world. The artist is excited to see a number of exhibitions in different galleries.
Fahad al-Obaidly, a Qatar fashion designer, is proud of Yasser. “I am really fascinated by his approach. He has an ability of telling a story in an abstract way. It is very unique in Qatar. Realist artists tell their stories in their own way. To be honest, I think he is approaching a special niche for him.”
Wassim Daaje, General Manager of W Doha, said, “ART29 has become Doha’s premier spot to showcase the growing base of talented artists the country has to offer. Yasser’s art gallery is not to be missed, his drawings are an accumulation of knowledge, experiences and culture and will truly inspire the next generation of passionate artists to go after their dreams and turn a white canvas into their personal journey.
“Art 29 is an exciting platform that presents the works of upcoming local, regional and international artists. It provides them with a space to showcase their work and aspirations to the community. 
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