Visitors watching a monumental portrait of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani by one of Iraq’s best known artists, Ismail Azzam, at “Summer Collection Part 14” exhibition at Al Markhiya Gallery at the Fire Station on Wednesday. Pic: Baher Amin/The
With the miscellany of 58 artworks by 22 artists from 10 nationalities, the 14th installment of Al Markhiya Gallery’s “Summer Collection” exhibition is a feast to the eyes and the intellect of every art enthusiast.
From the larger than life monochrome graffiti artwork by Qatari artist Mubarak Al Malik to the iron sculptures by Syrian artist Alaa Abou Shaheen to the cubist mixed media on canvas series by Jordanian multidisciplinary artist Hassan Manasrah, the collection that fills the two-storey gallery at the Fire Station reflects multiculturalism, thematic diversity and the expansive possibilities of human artistry.
Visitors who flocked to the exhibition launch on Wednesday admired the variety of art pieces and the mediums and techniques employed by some of the best Arab contemporary artists of today in their art production. A video screening the making of Al Malik’s 260cm by 460cm “Blind Imitation” piece created using spray and mixed media provided visitors a peek into the artistic process and the depth of the work as it showed underlying images.
“Jumping on a Trampoline” by Palestinian artist Abdul Rahman Katanani made from barbed wire and scrap metal succeeds in capturing the attention of art enthusiasts for the contrast in the image it projects and the materials the artist used to express the intended message. Dubbed one of the strongest mid-career artists in the Arab world, Katanani is a third generation Palestinian refugee who tells the story of his people through his pieces with compelling and dramatic effect.
Visitors view one of the pieces on show at “Summer Collection Part 14” exhibition at Al Markhiya Gallery at the Fire Station on Wednesday. Pic: Baher Amin/The Peninsula
A monumental portrait of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani by one of Iraq’s best known artists Ismail Azzam is also one of the works on display at the exhibition.
Art enthusiasts were also drawn to Abou Shaheen’s complex iron sculptures “Military Decision” and “A Big Head” and the minimalistic pen-on-paper piece by his compatriot Mohamed Ali called “Mutual Pleasure.”
Apart from A Malik, other Qatari artists whose works are on show include Hanadi Darwish, Ali Dasmal, Manar Al Muftah, and Maryam Faraj Al Suwaidi.
Other artists whose works are on show are Egyptian artist Adel El Siwi, Iraqi artist Ahmed Al Bahrani, Moroccan artist Mohamed Al Morabiti, Lebanese artist Mona Nahleh, Syrian artists Haitham Al Hamada and Ghazwan Allaf, Palestinian artist Mohamed Al Wahibi, Bahraini artists Mohammed Al Mahdi and Sayed Hassan Alsaari, and Sudanese artists Rashid Diab and Mutaz El Emam and Islam Kamil.
The exhibition is open for public viewing until September 21 at Al Markhiya Gallery at the Fire Station.
