As the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 draws near, Qatar Museums (QM) is presenting a number of exhibitions, workshops and tours for both residents and visitors to explore.

Eleven artists – Noor Abuissa, Amna al-Baker, Shaikha al-Hardan, May al-Mannai, Hassan al-Mulla, Ebtisam al-Saffar, Ryan Browning, Sarah Jayyousi, Jess Payne, Michael Perrone and Twiggy Shmeissany – will be presenting their works in a unique group exhibition titled Abstraction: Subverting Reality at Doha Fire Station’s Gallery 4 from July 28 to September 24.


Abstraction: Subverting Reality exhibition at Doha Fire Station’s Gallery 4 from July 28 to September 24.


It is curated by Doha Fire Station’s Exhibitions co-ordinator Amal Zeyad Ali.
“For the artist, there is not necessarily a need for a clear message, and the focus is on the experience of compositing and creating in a harmonious or inharmonious fashion,” the QM said on its website. “We encourage you as a visitor to be empowered to see what you want in each piece based on your life experience and identity.”
The QM announced the opening of Qatari artist Abeer al-Tamimi’s solo exhibition, titled Beyond the Rules, on July 28.


Abeer al-Tamimi's The Reveal, 2022, oil on canvas


It will run until September 24 at the Doha Fire Station’s Gallery 3.
The artist’s show focuses on her interest in human interaction and behaviour.
During her residency at Cité International des arts in Paris, the QM said that al-Tamimi “wanted to interact with as many people as possible to answer questions such as why we behave the way we do? And can we control our behaviours and emotions?”
“What al-Tamimi discovered was that people are entitled and live in a bubble that invokes negative behavior,” the QM added. “While we are programmed to follow and respect the cultural rules, traditions, and way of life we were born into or are accustomed to, we do not often see other realities, which diminishes our growth in all aspects.”
A multi-disciplinary and experimental artist who introduces unconventional materials and elements into her work seeking new forms of expression, al-Tamimi finds interest in exploring cultural diversity, which has various methods “of interpreting behaviours and emotions – and that we can all agree to one basic ideology of coexistence”.
Besides exhibitions, the QM is hosting several workshops, including the Youth Summer Programme: Acrylic Painting Techniques with Hazim al-Hussain from July 31 to August 4 at the Doha Fire Station’s Education Studio.
It will explore the different painting methods and techniques using acrylic paint.
An interactive one-day workshop focusing on the human brain on August 6 will be held at the National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ)’s Learning Studio.
“In this beginner hand-building workshop, participants will explore clay and learn how to build a simple human brain using a coil technique,” the QM said. “The workshop will also include more traditional learning elements as we uncover some fun facts about the human brain.”
The same venue will also house a two-day “Interactive Sound Art” workshop on August 12-13 between 4pm-6pm, engaging participants in a deep listening session inspired by the Pipilotti Rist: Your Brain to Me, My Brain to You exhibition.


An ‘Interactive Sound Art’ workshop will engage participants in a deep listening session inspired by the Pipilotti Rist: Your Brain to Me, My Brain to You exhibition.


“Deep listening is a practice of attentiveness to time and space,” the QM said. “By recording and listening back to our environment, we build a better understanding of ourselves, our surroundings, and their meanings.
In this interactive session, participants will explore their environment by listening, recording, editing, and placing sounds into a multi-channel installation.”
The QM is also organising a guided tour on The Discovery of Black Gold and Transformation in Qatar on August 15 and 22 for Arabic, and on August 17 and 24 for English at the NMoQ’s “Coming of Oil” gallery.
Related Story