Under the visionary guidance of its Chairperson, HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Qatar Museums is delighted to announce a series of exciting and dynamic exhibitions opening this spring, inspiring the next generation of cultural audiences and providing new experiences of art, culture and heritage for everyone to enjoy.
This year, residents and visitors of Qatar will be treated to a rich programme of exhibitions and events to mark the Qatar China 2016 Year of Culture, which celebrates the relations between the State of Qatar and the People’s Republic of China through cultural partnerships between Qatari and Chinese organisations, institutions and individuals. In addition to the exhibitions below, look out for more announcements of world class exhibitions, festivals, performances, educational programs and cultural exchanges across Qatar and China throughout the year!
- What About the Art? Contemporary Art from China
14 March 2016 – 16 July 2016
QM Gallery Al Riwaq
“What About the Art? Contemporary Art from China”, an exhibition from 15 contemporary Chinese artists curated by internationally acclaimed New York based Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang, will be on view at the QM Gallery Al Riwaq in March.
The exhibition will be the major highlight presented in the context of the Qatar China 2016 Year of Culture. After his solo exhibition held at Mathaf in 2011, artist Cai Guo-Qiang returns to Qatar, this time as a curator, to present an exhibition featuring 15 contemporary Chinese artists and collectives working in a variety of media. Artworks exemplifying each and every artist’s unique artistic language and methodology will be displayed in individual galleries, a curatorial approach further highlighting the distinctive creative pursuit of each individual participant.
Free entry
Opening hours
Sunday 10:30 – 17:00
Monday 10:30 – 17:00
Tuesday Closed
Wednesday 10:30 – 17:00
Thursday 12:00 – 20:00
Friday 14:00 – 20: 00
Saturday 12:00 – 20:00
- Silks from the Silk Road – Chinese Silk Art
24 March 2016 – 9 May 2016
QM Gallery, Building 10 Katara
The second major exhibition of the Qatar China 2016 Year of Culture, “Silks from the Silk Road – Chinese Art of Silk”, presents silk as a theme, and as a special local product of Zhejiang that played an important role in trade along the Silk Road. The exhibition highlights ancient and modern Chinese silk works, with around 100 pieces due to be showcased at the QM Gallery in Katara over a period of 6 weeks. The exhibition aims to map out the history of silk and its cultural significance over thousands of years, and allows visitors to experience the charm of contemporary Chinese silk. Free entry
Opening hours
Sunday Closed
Monday 10:00 – 20:00
Tuesday 10:00 – 20:00
Wednesday 10:00 – 20:00
Thursday 10:00 – 20:00
Friday 15:00 – 21:00
Saturday 10:00 – 20:00
Visit www.yearsofculture.qa for further information on Qatar China planned events.
- Focus: Works from Mathaf Collection (Part 2)
10 March 2016 – 1 September 2016
Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art
Focus: Works from Mathaf Collection is a series of solo exhibitions, featuring artists from the museum’s Permanent Collection, inviting audiences to rethink their understanding of art history and its connection to the world through original research, writing, and curating. The first five exhibitions featured Farid Belkahia (Morocco), Saloua Raouda Choucair (Lebanon), Faraj Daham (Qatar), and Inji Efflatoun (Egypt). In this second rotation of the exhibition, viewers will have the opportunity to experience the first solo museum exhibition of conceptual Emirati artist Hassan Sharif.
Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art is located at Education City, Al Huqoul St, Doha, Qatar.
Free entry
Opening hours
Sunday 11:00 - 18:00
Monday Closed
Tuesday 11:00 - 18:00
Wednesday 11:00 – 18: 00
Thursday 11:00 – 18: 00
Friday 15:00 – 20: 00
Saturday 11:00 – 18: 00
Visit http://www.mathaf.org.qa/en/ for more information
- Qajar Women: Images of Women in 19th Century Iran
8 April 2015 – 11 June 2016
4th floor Temporary Exhibitions Gallery
Still on show at the iconic Museum of Islamic Art, this exhibition demonstrates the centrality of women in the artistic expression of 19th-century Iran and how it continues to inspire contemporary artists. The most popular representations of the Qajar era have been of male sovereigns, whose life-size portraits exaggerate masculinity to depict power. Yet this era also saw a period of artistic modernisation in Iran, particularly in paintings and photography, in which depictions of women became essential elements of the scenes. Showcasing women at the court, and in private, alongside images of female musicians and aristocratic women, this exhibition explores rarely-told narratives of the Qajar artistic tradition.
Free entry
Opening hours
Sunday 10:30 – 17:00
Monday 10:30 – 17:00
Tuesday Closed
Wednesday 10:30 – 17:00
Thursday 12:00 – 20:00
Friday 14:00 – 20: 00
Saturday 12:00 – 20:00
Visit http://www.mia.org.qa/en/qajar-women for more information
Qatar Museums in Spain
- Looking at the World Around You. Contemporary Works from Qatar Museums
9 February 2016 – 19 June 2016
Sala de Arte, Fundación Banco Santander - Financial City, Madrid
For anyone lucky enough to visit Madrid this year, be sure to visit the Santander Gallery to see Looking at the World Around You – Contemporary Works from Qatar Museums . Organized by Fundación Banco Santander and Qatar Museums, the show features selected works from the collections of QM, in celebration of modern and contemporary art illustrating the Arab world’s perspective on the international art scene. The majority of the works in the exhibition come from the collection of Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha, with 160 pieces on show in total, portraying the Arab world and inviting visitors to observe and reflect on their surroundings. Curated by Abdellah Karroum, Mathaf’s Director, and Fatma Mostafawi, Curator at Mathaf, the exhibition includes works that range from René Magritte to Wael Shawky and Shirin Neshat, spanning nearly two centuries of artistic production across three continents.
Visit fundacionbancosantander.com for more information
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