‘Our World Is Burning’ exhibition reopens

“Our World Is Burning,” a contemporary art exhibition presented in line with Qatar-France 2020 Year of Culture, has reopened its doors to visitors at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, France.

Running until September 13, the exhibition organised by the French contemporary art centre Palais de Tokyo in collaboration with Mathaf showcases a wide array of artworks, majority of which are from Mathaf’s collection. 

“Notre monte brûle” / “Our World Is Burning” exhibition at Palais de Tokyo in collaboration with Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art has now re-opened,” Mathaf has announced on its official social media accounts.

The exhibition “draws up a fragmentary, sensitive map addressing the numerous societal transformations in the Middle East in the context of global crisis of political debate and environmental fragility.”

Qatari artists Bouthayna Al Muftah and  Faraj Daham  are among the 30 contemporary artists from the region whose works are being showcased at the important exhibition at Palais de Tokyo, the biggest contemporary art museum in Europe.

Al Muftah reinterprets the folkloric traditions of Qatar, an area once home to pearl divers which saw a period of unprecedented change in the latter half of the 20th century with the emergence of the oil industry. Daham, on the other hand, pays homage to the migrant workers of Qatar in his paintings.

For an in-depth experience of this exhibition, the accompanying catalogue is available for purchase through In-Q’s website.

The catalogue, written in French and English, showcases work by the 30 contemporary artists who explore the impact of ongoing humanitarian and ecological crises in the Middle East and beyond. 

The 192-page book features over 100 artworks, mostly from the collection of Mathaf, reflecting multiple perspectives on the complexities of the last decades. It also includes statements by the artists on their practice and interpretation of current events, with introductory essays by the curator Abdellah Karroum, Mathaf director and co-curator Fabien Danesi.

Each year since 2012, Qatar Museums has collaborated with a different nation to produce a specially curated Year of Culture, promoting mutual understanding across borders while providing opportunities for the people of each nation to encounter and appreciate one another’s creativity.

In this ninth annual programme, the Qatar-France 2020 Year of Culture builds on strong, substantial, already existing ties between the two nations to produce a series of experiences of remarkable excitement including wide-ranging programme of exhibitions, festivals, bilateral exchanges, and events held in both nations.