“Sand Box”, an art installation by Qatari artist and filmmaker AJ Al Thani on display at Outbreak exhibition. Al Thani is one of the artists participating in the exhibition talk tomorrow at Sikkat Wadi Msheireb. Pic Raynald C Rivera / The Peninsula
Doha Film Institute (DFI) has announced that Outbreak exhibition which was presented as part of the recent eighth Ajyal Film Festival had been extended for nine more days, set to be further enhanced by a series of parallel talks featuring several of the participating artists.
The multi-media art show which opened on November 19 at Sikkat Wadi Msheireb at Msheireb Downtown Doha was supposed to conclude tomorrow, but DFI has said it is now extended until December 19.
Yesterday, DFI, through its official social media channels, announced several talks to be organised this week along with the exhibition, with panels comprising a number of artists whose works are being showcased at the exhibition.
Opening the series is “Inspiration and the Reflected Isolation” to be held tomorrow at 7pm at Sikkat Wadi Msheireb. Moderated by Mohammed Al Hamadi, the talk will have artists Adriane De Souza, AJ Al Thani, Anfal Al Kandari and Maha Al Subaey in the panel.
“The talk will discuss how self-isolation, which most of the world went through in 2020 due to the health crisis, can and has yielded much creativity,” said DFI.
This will be followed by “Creativity in the Face of Crisis” on Friday at 7pm at the same venue. It will be moderated by Reem Al Sahlawi and feature Maryam Faraj Al Suwaidi, Mohammed Faraj Al Suwaidi and Roda Al Thani.
DFI said this talk “will discuss how art and artists can brilliantly respond to sudden crises and turn them into true sources of inspiration.”
Also this week is “Imagination in the Time of a Pandemic” to be held on Saturday at 7pm. Moderated by Abdulaziz Yousef, the talk featuring Hamad Al Fayhani, Ibrahim Al Baker, Nasser Al Kubaisi and Nour Al Nasr will discuss “how the 2020 pandemic has offered much creative opportunities and opened doors of imagination for the local artistic community.”
Presenting a diverse collection of works by 24 local artists, “Outbreak” is meant to reflect the new reality of the world as it faces a period of instability and uncertainty amid the global pandemic and pays tribute to the brave frontline workers and modern-day heroes who sacrifice their lives daily for everyone’s safety.
The exhibition was one of the highlights of this year’s Ajyal Film Festival which, in its first-ever hybrid format, offered a number of fresh features including virtual talks, online screenings and the highly successful first-ever drive-in cinema, among others. The recently concluded festival presented a diverse slate of 22 features and 58 shorts, including 31 from the Arab World and 30 by women directors.
