Artworks by faculty, staff, and alumni from Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUarts Qatar), a Qatar Foundation partner, are part of ‘Majaz: Contemporary Art Qatar’, an exhibition currently running at Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, until February 25, 2023.
Othman Khunji, Michael Perrone, Alaa Batta, Fatima Mohamed, Hadeer Omar, Jesse Payne, Majdulin Nasrallah, Maryam al-Homaid, Nourbanu Hijazi and Ryan Browning from VCUarts Qatar are the artists who have contributed to the exhibition that includes paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture, new media, and installations.


Othman Khunji


Two VCUarts Qatar alumnae who currently work at Qatar Museums, al-Jazi Khalid al-Thani and Fatima al-Zaini are part of the team organising the exhibition.
‘Majaz: Contemporary Art Qatar’ marks five years of the Artist in Residence programme at the Fire Station in Doha. The exhibition features the works of numerous artists in residence who took part in the programme between 2015 and 2021.


Ryan Browning


According to the website of Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, “In this exhibition, artists take the role of the narrator, recalling both shared and personal experiences to communicate ideas fundamental to the modern world. They are also connected by the artists’ collective experience of living in Qatar and being part of its unique community. Each piece acts as a metaphor (majaz) for the artist’s journey and evolving artistic practice, capturing a moment or an idea that represents their experience in the past years.”
The exhibition’s official opening was attended by Qatar Museums Chairperson HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani.
The exhibition forms part of Qatar Creates, showcasing the works of renowned artists from across the region. The works on display reflect the creative power and heritage of the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia (MENASA) region in celebration of the Qatar-MENASA Year of Culture 2022.
Majaz is curated by Saida al-Khulaifi, acting head of Residency Programmes at the Fire Station, and Amal Zeyad Ali.
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