Expatriate artists are stealing the show at S'hail - Katara International Hunting and Falcons Exhibition at Katara.
Indians Arjun Suvaraj and Rajeesh Ravi and Syrian Zeina Abbara are among the artists at the exhibition.
With paintings that range from portraits to sketches of Qatari culture and heritage, the artists have portrayed the saga of Qatar’s bond to its expatriate communities while making use of S’hail to get new insights and learn from Qataris.
The artists are grateful to the S’hail and Katara managements for offering them this opportunity.
Arjun, an artist from Chennai has been in Doha since 2008, learning painting and capturing Qatari life and culture on canvas.
A special youth with impaired hearing and speech ability, Arjun has grabbed the attention at S’hail’s gathering zone where he paints beautiful portraits and serene scenes with the support of his parents Rajesh Babu and Shobha Rajesh.
“Arjun is very excited and happy to be part of this international exhibition. It’s an ideal venue for him to grow as it brings creative people with diverse cultures together and helps him learn new things,” Shobha said while talking to Community at Katara.
Shobha said Arjun will soon hold his solo exhibition at Katara if things pan out as expected. He has so far won several recognitions while attending school level and national level competitions in Qatar.
Zeina, who is part of the Qatari Fine Arts Association and Souq Waqif Arts Centre, said S’hail is a place that lends opportunities as it helps artists display their works and find buyers.
“Indeed, the exhibition provides all of us an opportunity to showcase our talents. For the last three years, I have been part of S’hail while drawing the rich culture of Qatar,” Zeina said.
The artist, who is an alumnus of the Fine Arts College in Homs, has been a Doha resident since 2011 and part of S’hail in its last three editions.
At the second zone of the S’hail exhibition, Kerala artist Rajeesh Ravi has a place where he draws on Qatar’s affection towards falcons and it's traditional Bedouin culture.
“S’hail underscores the fact that Qatar pays due attention to artists by providing them adequate space. Artists here enjoy the privilege of getting support from the government and its entities like Katara,” Rajeesh said.
The graduate from the School of Fine Arts at Thalassery in Kerala is currently working with Souq Waqif Arts Centre and is an active member of the Visual Arts Forum India.
He started his career in Doha as curator at Al Hosh Art Gallery while helping budding artists and newcomers learn the Qatari style and trend, grow in Qatar and find venues to exhibit their works.