The recently inaugurated exhibition – ‘Yemen, a Captivating Love’ – pulled people in crowds on the opening day in Building 22 of Katara with a majority of the visitors being Qataris and members of the international diplomatic community in Doha.
Talking about the beauty of Yemen, Moudhi Hamad Abosatwa al-Hajri, a photographer and artist, said;
“Yemen! Oh that fascinating, thrilling, amazing and attractive world. Once upon a time I, out of curiosity, held my modest camera and my love for discovery and embarked on a small journey that later expanded to become a series of trips. The door from which I entered Yemen trickily opened constantly inviting me to explore new places and to return to the places that I have become familiar with and that have become familiar with me so much so that I can no longer be absent from Yemen for long time. Seven pleasant years passed as a twinkle of eye during which I used to visit Yemen whenever I got an opportunity.”
The gallery is currently hosting the exhibition of splendid photographs taken by Moudhi during her frequent visits to Yemen. The exhibition is on view until October 29 at Katara Building 22.
The visitors took keen interest in the collection of exquisitely taken photos that tend to tell a pictorial story of the beautiful Yemen. With over 100 photos, the Qatari photographer takes the visitors to green valley areas, ancient cities, villages with their traditional houses, the busy souqs and stunning mosques. She has captured the natural and simple life of common Yemenis who seemed to be enjoying themselves being indifferent to the hardships of life surrounding them.
Moudhi also launched her photo book that contains all the photos related to her Yemen visits with the name similar to the exhibition.
Moudhi has come out with her photography exhibition to let people of Qatar see how stunning Yemen is. “I have bought this project because no one knows about Yemen. Photography has been my hobby for a long time. Every year I go to any country to take photos,” she said while talking to Community,
“It was in 2007 when I went to Yemen. I was really surprised by whatever I saw there. I was amazed by the architecture, people and their lifestyle. I saw many similarities between the way people live in Yemen in 2007 and the people used to live in Qatar few decades ago. I was specially amazed by the ancient history of the country. With my first trip to Yemen I continued going to the country every year till 2013. Sometimes I went to Yemen for photography six to seven times in a year. I used to say there for 20 days to one month during one trip. One time I spent all three summer months in Yemen,” the enthusiastic photographer said.
She added: “I have been trying to cover all corners of the country. Yemen is a big country with many mountains and villages. It was not very easy to go everywhere.
“When I tell people in Qatar that I am going to Yemen, they ask what is so special about the country? Most people do not know much about Yemen. I took the responsibility to show them how beautiful Yemen is through my photography.”
Moudhi further said: “When you go there in Yemen, you will find very positive energy in the people despite that fact that they are not living in ideal conditions. I was surprise to see the remains of the palace of Bilqis, the Queen of Sheba. I did not know that the palace still exist there.”
She started photography as early as she was only nine-year-old. “I started photography very early in my life. I started taking photos of different areas in Qatar. Then I started going out to other countries to have beautiful photos. Again for the last three years, I have been focusing on Qatar.”
An active member of many local and international art organisations, Moudhi has already taken part in more than 76 local, regional and international exhibitions in countries such as France, Italy, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Cyprus, Georgia, Turkey, China and Lebanon. She is a recipient of several awards including the Golden Phoenix Backpacker Award 2014, Arab Women Award and Businesswomen’s Association Award in 2013, among others.
EXHIBITION: Moudhi Hamad al-Hajri, left, talks to Mohamed bin Ahmed bin Towar al-Kuwari, First Vice-Chairman of Qatar Chamber, centre, and Dr Khalid bin Ibrahim al-Sulaiti, General Manager Katara.
