By Raynald C Rivera
DOHA: Qatar Museums (QM) brings yet another internationally acclaimed artist to Doha with the opening of Luc Tuymans’ ‘Intolerance’ retrospective, the Belgian painter’s first foray in the Gulf.
It was inaugurated by H E Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad Al Thani, Chairperson, QM, yesterday at Al Riwaq Gallery yesterday.
Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage H E Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kuwari, QM Vice-Chairman Sheikh Hassan bin Mohammed Al Thani and H E Sheikh Jassim bin Abdulaziz Al Thani attended the opening.
It is Tuymans’ first solo show in the Gulf and a comprehensive survey of his works and includes wall paintings and a new body of work called ‘The Arena’, created specifically for the exhibition.
Opening to the public today, the exhibition presents a fascinating insight into his rich and varied oeuvre spanning over the past 25 years of his career.
The large-scale expo includes over 100 paintings by the influential artist hailed for his invaluable contribution to the revival of painting in the 1990s.
“The show is about Western image building because I come from the West,” Tuymans told the media during a preview on Friday.
He alludes the concept of the exhibition to the masterpiece of filmmaker D W Griffith of the same title, a complex silent film which delves into mankind’s intolerance through the ages.
The show takes viewers into nuances of meaning of representative pieces from the artist’s works inspired by or created from photographs, films and other source materials.
Even though the paintings are based on actual events, people, places and periods in history, Tuymans says they provide “ambiguous” meanings, opening up various possible interpretations and sparking debate.
“Intolerance actually implies tolerance. For me, it is important to know what it (the work) actually means; that doesn’t mean that there’s only one meaning. There are several which make it interesting.”
Proper and improper, violence and tenderness, utopia and dystopia are some of the subjects portrayed in the paintings many of which are inspired by important periods and moments which shaped history such as the World War II, the Gulf War and 9/11.
A unique feature of the show is wall paintings the artist recreated from his works.
“I actually painted the paintings which we did not get to bring to the show. I repainted them because they are important to the show, but they will be destroyed after the show,” he explained.
Jean-Paul Engelen, Director, Public Art, QM, said: “We are delighted to bring luc’s works to this region to inspire and influence aspiring artists from the region and educate our communities about international art.
“By bringing major contemporary exhibitions to Qatar, QM furthers its aim to create dialogue about the role of contemporary art and foster an existing culture of artistic appreciation and participation in Qatar.”
Though it is his first solo exhibition in Qatar and the region, Tuymans has been to the country many times and the expo marks the start of some projects he will undertake here.
“I made a promise to come back during the duration of the show to go to universities. This is the beginning, a first step. There are other projects in the making,” he said.
Over the last seven years, QM has presented major solo exhibitions by internationally acclaimed contemporary artists, including Etel Adnan, Louise Bourgeois, Cai Guo-Qiang, Mona Hatoum, Damien Hirst, Takashi Murakami, Shirin Neshat, Yan Pei-Ming, Wael Shawky, Richard Serra and Francesco Vezzoli.
QM has also exhibited local artists such as Yousef Ahmad and Faraj Daham.
QM has also worked to develop opportunities for the development of artists in the region, most recently, the Fire Station ‘Artist in Residence’ programme, which provides residencies and mentoring for local artists. Tuymans will conduct studio visits to the resident artists at the Fire Station. The exhibition is supplemented with a 522-page publication with 800 illustrations of the artist’s paintings and drawings, archival materials and installation photos of his exhibitions and studies on his work. The expo runs until January 30.
The Peninsula
