Al-Nassr will share with the international arts and creative community the success of Doha’s Design District.
Shaika Nasser Al-Nassr, Director of the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA), will participate as a panellist at the Hong Kong International Cultural Summit (ICS).
From 24 – 25 March, West Kowloon Cultural District will host Hong Kong’s first-ever ICS event.
The summit will bridge cultures by inviting the big names within the arts and cultural conservation sectors to engage in critical dialogue and share their varying perspectives.
The ICS will also explore whether modernity and globalisation present a rupture or opportunity to cultural heritage and institutions.
During the panel on Cultural Districts: Contributions to Social and Economic Transformation of Cities and their Impact on Cities, Al Nassr will discuss how the Doha Design District — which includes museums, galleries, public art, and more — has enriched Doha’s cityscape, spurred development, connected arts, education and culture with progress and drawn international tourists.
Other personalities in the ‘Cultural Districts’ include Tim Reeve, Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer of London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, Katrina Sedgwick, Director and CEO of the Melbourne Arts Precinct Corporation and Akiko Miki International, Artistic Director at Benesse Art Site Naoshima.
Qatar Museums’ future
“The summit is a wonderful opportunity for me to raise awareness of what we’re doing in Doha,” Al Nassr explained to a Chinese outlet.
In the upcoming years, the state will enhance and support the Qatari creative scene.
Qatar Museums will soon unveil the Lusail Museum, Dadu Children’s Museum, the Qatar Auto Museum and the Art Mill Museum.
The latter will “present modern and contemporary art from all regions of the globe on an equal basis,” Al Nassr said.
She added that Qatar Museums would soon establish a new cultural district along the Doha Corniche, providing greater access for museums-goers to the MIA and Qatar National Museum.
Looking forward to the Hong Kong ICS, Al Nassr also remarked, “While Qatar Museums is committed to nurturing artistic talent within our own country, we are also committed to building partnerships internationally to support artists and audiences throughout the world.”
Al Nassr, a graduate of SOAS University of London, Qatar University and University College London, has been working with the MIA since 2007, where she began as the Head of Exhibitions.
She then actively oversaw the relaunch of the museum in 2022 as the Deputy Director of Curatorial Affairs and took over from the museum’s former director, Julia Gonnella, in 2023.
