DOHA: Katara General Manager Dr Khaled bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti inaugurated an art exhibition by Iraqi artist Ahmad Alaway at Katara.
The exhibition ‘Bodies and dancing letters’ is organised by Qatar Fine Art Society (QFAS) in Building No. 13.
It showcases a collection of works belonging to the arts of engraving, drawing, and pottery. Alaway is the winner of the First Global Contest for Restoring Mecca in 2010. He has participated in joint exhibitions in Iraq and Qatar in addition to implementing and designing artistic works and big murals.
Dr Al Sulaiti praised the concept of the exhibition and the notion put forth by the artist, who incorporated art genres in an amazing way.
“We, in the Cultural Village Foundation, are trying to contribute to creativity. We are pleased to host artists whether they are Qataris, Arabs or foreigners to show their creative works. We tend to support stakeholders at Cultural Village Foundation as we do with QFAS, which continuously work to provide new doors for new creative and distinguished opportunities. This will enrich the local artistic and cultural movement,” Dr Al Sulaiti said.
QFAS Director Yousef Khalifa Al Sadah said, “The exhibition is an attempt to merge technical differences that tell artistic practices apart. This can be done by raw materials and techniques used in employing the letters as a constituent of the shape and the body.
“The final product bears no indicative sign of its identity; rather, it is more concerned with humane cases.
“Such works also reveal the diversity that differentiates between creatures intellectually and cognitively and strive to employ them in an impromptu harmony to produce an artistic work, abandoning all extras, be they are colour- or shape-based.”
Alaway reflected on his work in the exhibition, saying, “I used the body and other materials as papers on which I draw my ideas, they are my letters and dancing bodies. In this exhibition, I used raw materials and techniques. I tried to present a specific notion through using different materials. I focus on the flexible structure of the body and the Arabic letter; for instance, I worked on the falcon and the Arabian horse by merging them with Arabic letters. This is in addition to other portraits through which I tried to highlight humane issues through acrobatic movements inspired from ballet.”
Among the works on display is ‘Leaves to the Sky’ — a four-metre-high structure. It is a collection of engraved Arab letters in stainless steel with tree leaves pointed upward.
The Peninsula
