Thousands of articles of clothing and photos are on display at Laundromat, the first-ever exhibition by renowned Chinese artist Ai Weiwei in the Gulf, launched yesterday at the Fire Station. Pics: Salim Matramkot / The Peninsula
DOHA: Thousands of clothes and shoes once owned by refugees are displayed in Laundromat, the first ever exhibition in the Gulf by iconoclastic Chinese artist Ai Weiwei that puts the spotlight on the global refugee crisis, which opened yesterday at Garage Gallery at the Fire Station.
A total of 2,046 articles of clothing are neatly arranged and hanged on clothes racks which stand on the floor covered with Ai’s Newsfeed comprising daily press coverage, personal observations and images on war, displacement, and the refugee and migrant journey among others.
The clothes were collected from a makeshift refugee camp in Idomeni – a small village in northern Greece and official border crossing to the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The camp was shut down in May 2016 and the refugees that had been living there were evacuated, leaving their importat possessions behind including their clothes.
The walls of the exhibition space are dotted with 17, 062 photos taken by Ai on his iPhone during the filming of his documentary feature “Human Flow” in which he travelled to 40 refugee camps in 23 countries conducting over 600 interviews.
The exhibition also features the film “Idomeni” (2016) which captures the everyday conditions of the refugees up to the moment when the camp was evacuated.
Alongside Laundromat, other projects by the artist exhibited include Stacked Porcelain Vases as a Pillar (2017), which represents six themes of the refugee condition — War, Ruins, Journey, Crossing the Sea, Refugee Camps, and Demonstrations, and Tyre (2016), a traditional symbol of safety turned on its head by being crafted from marble and representing the struggle faced by refugees crossing the Mediterranean Sea.
This is the first time the renowned artist and political activist has exhibited in the Gulf region. It follows his visit to Doha last year when he visited museums and art projects, delivered a lecture and met with Qatar’s aspiring artists.
“My relationship with Qatar began when I first visited the country last year. I had the chance to tour the Fire Station and meet with the artists who had residencies there. It was a great experience to see the openness with which they practiced their craft and I am pleased to have the chance to bring Laundromat to this space and continue taking my message to people around the world,” he said.
Mansoor bin Ebrahim Al Mahmoud, CEO and Special Adviser to the Chairperson of Qatar Museums, HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani officially opened the exhibition which is open to the public until June 1.
Khalifa Al Obaidly, Director of Qatar Museums’ Fire Station Artist in Residence Programme, said: “We are hugely honoured to present Laundromatat the Fire Station — a place where our residents encounter new perspectives and find inspiration in the work of well-established artists. By bringing such internationally significant talent to Qatar, we hope to spark creativity for a young generation of artists and build an exciting future for Qatar. An exhibition such as this, which brings attention to an issue that has preoccupied a generation, is sure to be of interest to the wider community as well. This is a show that should not be missed, and we urge all those who live in and visit Qatar to experience it.”
The travelling exhibition, which serves as a powerful commentary on the refugee crisis, highlights Qatar’s development as a creative and artistic hub that encourages dialogue through art.
