The event is yet another occasion to bridge cultural differences through art.
The country’s most exciting arts event, Qatar Creates Week, is set to take place between 10-18 March, filled with various culturally diverse activities.
On Tuesday, Qatar Museums (QM) announced the lineup of activities and events, which will feature local and international curators.
This year, Doha Film Institute (DFI) will join with Qatar Creates for the eventful week, which will also see the annual Qumra event showcase works of Arab and international filmmakers.
Aside from film, photographers will have the chance to share their work at the second Tasweer Photo Festival Qatar.
The festival is also one with many firsts, most notably artist Olafur Eliasson’s first ever solo exhibition in the Gulf region.
Speaking to the press during the announcement, Abdulrahman Al Ishaq, Director of Public Art at Qatar Museums, noted the role of art in serving as a “universal language” and building bridges between cultures.
Al Ishaq also told Doha News that Qatar continues to stand as an open air art gallery and noted the industry is seeing continuous growth.
Event lineup
2023 Tasweer Photo Festival Qatar (15 March – 20 May 2023)
Tasweer is a biennial programme comprising exhibitions, awards and discussions between photographers both from Qatar and other parts of the world.
The developing event was established by QM Chairperson Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.
This year, the event will take place at M7 design hub, featuring two exhibitions.
The first is Khalid Albaih and Aparna Jayakumar’s “Doha Fashion Fridays”, a project aimed at amplifying Qatar’s cultural diversity of migrant population.
The second exhibition is titled “A Chance To Breathe”, which will display photographs of the daily life of the Rohingya community at Cox’s Bazar. The photos are taken by photographers Azimul Hasson, Dil Kayas and Omal Khair.
QM is also bringing back two site-specific exhibitions by Qatari and Qatar-based artists.
The first is titled “My Mother Lulwa’s House” by Qatari artist Mashael Al Hejazi at the Majlis Barahat Al Jufairi.
The second is what QM described as “an immersive installation” by Qatar-based artist Hadeer Omar in collaboration with Sonic Jeel and Katia Kolovea at Al Koot Fort.
Omar’s art was prominently displayed throughout the World Cup in Qatar in the Light the Sky music video as well as Egyptian singer Wegz’s Ezz Al Arab music video.
A glimpse of Beirut
Then on 17 March, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art will witness the “I Am The Traveler And Also The Road” exhibition by recipients of the 2021 and 2022 Tasweer’s Sheikh Saoud Al Thani Project.
Lebanon will also be spotlighted at Mathaf with the“Beirut and the Golden Sixties: A Manifesto of Fragility” installation.
Co-curated by Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath, the exhibition offers a glimpse into Lebanon’s 1958 crisis and the bloody 1975 Civil War, serving a tribute to the crises-hit country.
The exhibition brings together 230 artworks and 300 archival documents from nearly 40 collections from around the world.
Curious Desert
On 19 March, Qatar will welcome Curious Desert, Eliasson’s first solo installation in the region, which includes works near the Al Thakhira Mangrove in Northern Qatar and 12 temporary pavilions.
Meanwhile, the National Museum of Qatar will display a range of artworks by Eliasson.
Marchitecture
The exciting architectural celebration “Marchitecture” will return yet again with tours to explore Qatar’s vibrant architecture.
Qumra (19-21 March)
The much-anticipated film event Qumra is returning with a hybrid format of in-person and virtual sessions, gathering top filmmakers and screenwriters including Academy Award winners.
QC-PSG (15 March)
With Doha being a key sports capital, Qatar Creates has teamed up with Clown Skateboard and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) to release “an exclusive capsule collection” of apparel and art.
The work of Fatima Al-Sharshani will also be incorporated in the exclusive collection, which will be on display at the Doha Fire Station.
