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After losing much of her work to war, artist Suzana Joumaa rebuilt her practice in Qatar, redefining art through a system-based approach that dissolves boundaries between disciplines and constantly evolves. An artist who once lost much of her life’s work to conflict has emerged in Qatar with a radically redefined vision, one that challenges not only how art is created, but what it fundamentally is.**media[436262]**For Suzana Joumaa, the journey from Syria to Doha has been one of profound reinvention. “I lost most of my artworks ... I was depressed. I didn’t want to do art,” she recalled. Her turning point came in Qatar, where the Fire Station Artist in Residence programme became a space of recovery and renewal. “I decided to finish my Master of Fine Arts (MFA) to do a new project and to finish it very well,” she said, a moment that reignited both her practice and purpose.**media[436263]**Today, Joumaa’s work resists traditional categorisation. “I started as an artist and interior architect, then a multidisciplinary artist and now I am a system-based artist,” she explained. Her practice operates “across multiple disciplines within an integrated, system-driven framework where each project defines its own logic and medium.”**media[436264]**Rejecting fixed labels, she moves fluidly between oil painting, printmaking, interior design, digitally fabricated sculpture, mechanical interventions, music, sound and video art. These, she insists, are not separate fields. “I don’t frame myself inside only one art practice ... I can do them all in one frame,” she said. At the core of her work is what she defines as the “new wave of art”, not a style, but a position. It challenges long-standing assumptions about art, including the separation between disciplines and the idea of the artwork as a finished object.**media[436265]**“In my practice, the artwork is not an end product, but an evolving system that changes through time, interaction, and context,” she noted. The process, she added, is not about combining disciplines for effect, but about “dissolving the hierarchy between them.” While Joumaa incorporates advanced tools such as parametric design and 3D printing, she emphasises that technology is only one part of a broader system. “Parametric design and digital art give me a wider mindset... it’s always pushing the boundaries,” she said, underscoring that evolution, not medium, defines her work.**media[436266]**Qatar has played a central role in enabling this transformation. Beyond personal recovery, Joumaa views the country as a growing cultural hub. “It’s gathering people from all around the world ... giving a platform for all of that to be blended safely,” she said. Her artistic language reflects this openness, immersive, symbolic and deeply sensory. Through light, shadow, sound and interaction, she invites audiences into emotional and psychological spaces. “I want them to feel ... to stand a moment and ask, ‘What is that?’” she said.**media[436267]**Her work has gained increasing international recognition, with participation in major platforms including Art Cairo at the Egyptian Grand Museum, as well as her role as a World Cup artist in Qatar. She has also collaborated with institutions such as Virginia Commonwealth University and served as a jury member for the Artbeat competition. Awards, including the Qatar Al-Fann competition and Artist of the Year 2024, have further strengthened her visibility, though she views them as part of a larger journey. “Art is not easy ... you need to keep the passion... to evolve what you do,” she reflected.**media[436268]**Her message to emerging creatives is grounded in persistence. “You will fail many times... it’s all part of the experience... never give up,” she advised. In an era where disciplines increasingly overlap, Joumaa’s work signals a broader shift in how art is understood. She is not simply creating works, she is constructing a framework. In a world still inclined to categorise, Joumaa is quietly dismantling boundaries, shaping what she calls the “new wave of art”, where everything connects, evolves, and begins again. 

World-renowned British sugar artist Debbie Wingham has transformed a cancelled business launch in Doha into a charity initiative, praising Qatar’s safety, community spirit and government response amid ongoing regional tensions. What began as an unexpected setback during a period of regional uncertainty has turned into an act of generosity for acclaimed British artist and designer Debbie Wingham, who says her time in Qatar has left her feeling “safe, protected and at home”.Wingham, globally recognised for her extravagant sugar sculptures and couture-inspired cake designs, had travelled to Doha to launch her cookie venture Crumbz Cookies when the regional situation escalated and forced the cancellation of her soft launch. Rather than leave, she chose to stay, and to give back. “To be honest, since the moment I arrived, I felt so safe and protected,” Wingham told Gulf Times. “I cannot even put it into words. At first, like anyone, I wondered what was going on would we have water, would we have food? But then I realised how organised Qatar is.” She said discovering the country’s preparedness and communication systems reassured her quickly.“I realised Qatar has its own supply of water and warehouses full of groceries and food. I mean, can you imagine being that organised for something they never knew was going to happen?” she said. “So to summarise, I feel super safe.” Wingham also praised the government’s communication with residents during the situation, describing official updates and notifications as essential.“All the information we’re given from the ministry, the notifications on your phone and everything, gives you the tools to feel safe,” she said. “Now I just carry on with my life.” Her cancelled launch also led to an immediate act of community support. With hundreds of freshly baked cookies prepared for the event, Wingham chose to donate the entire inventory to a local food bank.“For me, it’s gratitude,” she explained. “Even though it’s a small thing, gifting several hundred cookies, if that makes families smile after Iftar, then that’s wonderful. Just a small amount of sweetness in people’s lives.”Inspired by the community around her, Wingham later introduced a charity concept called 'Heroes of the Roads', recognising delivery drivers who continued serving residents during the situation. “They are part of the hero's jigsaw,” she said. “The government and ministries protect us, but these drivers are delivering food and essentials when people can’t go out. It was my way of saying thank you!”The idea emerged unexpectedly while she was alone in her hotel room, sketching on cookie boxes with a pencil. “I started doodling the Doha skyline and thought, I should turn this into something meaningful, something linked to charity,” she said. Beyond the immediate charity efforts, Wingham believes Doha represents a long-term opportunity not only for business but also for community living. Although she has previously lived and worked extensively in the UAE, she said, Qatar’s sense of community ultimately drew her in.“Everybody told me Qatar has this village essence,” she said. “And for me that’s important because my business is a family business, it’s my husband, my daughter and me.”In fact, the positive experience has prompted her to consider a more permanent future in the country. “Well, I love it so much that I’m applying for residency,” she said with a smile. “Does that seem like the action of someone who regrets coming here? I think not.”For Wingham, the experience has left a lasting emotional impression. “When I first arrived, there was just this sensory feeling,” she said. “Like the hairs on the back of your neck standing up, something special.”Then she paused and summed it up simply: “The feeling of home.” 

This painting by artist Hanadi al-Darwish is to be interpreted rather than seen, because it is created on layers of meaning as well as layers of colour and texture. The work revolves around a woman as a visual and spiritual centre, but her presence is neither direct nor conventionally realistic. The facial features are almost blended into the background, as if the figure emerges from memory or returns to it. The decorative elements, inscriptions, and surrounding flowers transform her into a symbolic entity, closer to a cultural icon. Reminiscent of the old Ramadan traditions, which blend in with the nowadays cherished customs. The painting belongs to an abstract expressionist style, using collage techniques and a variety of materials. There is a clear layering of the canvas, the decorations, the handwritten inscriptions, and the areas of oxidised colour, suggesting the passage of time. The surface is not smooth, but rather vibrant with texture, as if the artist deliberately makes the physical effect part of the meaning. 

A painting by the artist Hassan Boujassoum appears as a window open to a time when houses faced each other, and hearts did too.The work evokes a complete way of life, where the courtyard was a shared space, and the street a natural extension of the home.The work belongs to the genre of documentary realism, with an expressive touch in the simplification of forms and their definition with clear lines.The colours are vibrant but not garish, dominated by the warmth of the sand and earth, contrasted with the coolness and the blue of the sky, creating a comfortable visual balance.The light is diffused and relatively flat, without harsh shadows.The composition allows the eye to wander among the details as if walking through the neighbourhood. 

At Art Factory Lusail, Fox Hills, a quiet exhibition space is currently drawing visitors into a world of unspoken emotions, fleeting moments and deeply personal reflections. The reason is Soul in Strokes, the latest solo exhibition by Dr Sreekumar Padmanabhan, a medical professional whose paintbrush has become as powerful a tool of healing as his stethoscope.The week-long exhibition, which was kicked off on 2 January, features a compelling series of realistic oil and acrylic works that explore everyday life, human expressions and the subtle emotions often overlooked in modern routines.“From the name Soul in Strokes, I wanted to capture emotions, the very essence of the soul, through my brush,” Dr Padmanabhan explains. “In our busy lives, we forget to appreciate the beauty in small moments. These paintings give those moments a space to be seen.”Each artwork is accompanied by a short narrative describing what inspired its creation, encouraging visitors to not only observe but also reflect. The result is an immersive viewing experience where art becomes conversation between the canvas and the viewer, and often within the viewer’s own memories.Dr Padmanabhan has spent more than 18 years in Qatar, building a medical career rooted in discipline, service and continuous learning. He arrived in Doha in 2007 after a decade of medical practice in the UAE and currently serves as a doctor in the government sector. His professional journey includes advanced qualifications such as MRCGP and specialised diplomas in Occupational Health, Diving Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine. He also conducts multiple training programmes at the Hamad International Training Center.Yet, alongside this structured medical path runs a parallel life shaped by creativity.“I paint whenever I get free time. It is not something I have to plan; it just happens,” he says. “Painting keeps me grounded.”What makes Soul in Strokes especially distinctive is the way it mirrors Dr Padmanabhan’s multicultural life journey. His Indian roots, professional life in Qatar, interactions across the Middle East and travels abroad all quietly surface through the faces, settings and emotions portrayed in his paintings.Being self-taught, his artistic evolution has been shaped by observation, curiosity and constant experimentation.“I learn by watching people, their expressions, their silences, their stories,” he shares. “I hope people can see my growth through my paintings.”His works often focus on people, not as posed subjects, but as carriers of stories, emotions and lived realities. Viewers frequently find themselves emotionally drawn to his canvases, connecting the scenes to their own personal experiences.“Art is not just about technique,” he reflects. “It is about making people feel something.”A member of the Katara Fine Arts Society, Dr Padmanabhan has participated in nearly 60 exhibitions in Qatar, including about 15 solo shows and more than 17 group exhibitions at Katara alone. He is also a familiar face as a jury member for children’s art competitions, quietly nurturing young creative talent.Despite this extensive artistic footprint, he remains humble, introducing himself first as a doctor, and letting his paintings speak for him.For him, artistic success is not measured in sales, but in emotional connection.“When someone stands in front of a painting and sees their own story in it, that is my real reward,” he says.A cultural connectorLiving in Qatar has further shaped his belief in multicultural harmony. He speaks warmly of working alongside colleagues from across the world and of the natural closeness that grows within Qatar’s compact and diverse society.He is currently also part of the Katara group exhibition ‘From Qatar’, which brings together artists of different nationalities, reflecting the country’s cultural mosaic.At the heart of his philosophy lies the Indian principle Atithi Devo Bhava (The guest is God), a value that influences both his medical practice and his artistic interactions.“As a doctor, I always ask myself how I would like to be treated if I were the patient. That is how I treat people,” he says.While realism remains the foundation of his work, Dr Padmanabhan plans to explore simplified styles, mixed media, story-driven compositions and larger-format works in future exhibitions — signalling a new creative chapter ahead.In his world, healing does not end in the clinic.It continues — quietly and beautifully — on canvas.