The art works displayed at the exhibition ‘Colours of Desert’ recently inaugurated at Building-19 in Katara truly portrayed the futuristic vision of Qatar and flamboyancy of the assorted artists.
The opening ceremony saw a huge attendance of art enthusiasts to witness the works of as many as 51 Qatar-based artists presenting a rainbow of creative ideas and thoughts. The galaxy of 102 twinkling stars – creative art pieces – provided a real attraction for the visitors who remained engrossed in the unique creativity that highlighted four aspects of Qatar National Vision (QNV) 2030.
The atmosphere at the gallery 1 and 2 was electrifying as the art lovers, mostly Qataris and South Asian expatriates thronged the venue in large numbers.
The exhibition – the sixth in the series of Colours of Desert – was organised by MAPS International in collaboration with Katara Cultural Village. The exhibition saw the participating artists hailing from countries namely; Qatar, Kuwait, Russia, India, France, UK, Ethiopia, Uzbekistan, South Korea, Pakistan, Morocco, Iran, South Africa, Philippines, Trinidad and Tobago.
The exhibition, which will be open until August 1 every day from 10am to 10pm, saw as many as 22 Qatari artists both seasoned and budding ones. As the gathering was mostly comprised of Qatari nationals, many ambassadors and diplomats were also conspicuous among the art lovers. The inaugural ceremony also featured a musical performance by Svetlana, a female violinist.
Saad al-Dosari, Katara HR Manager, and Rashmi Agarwal, Preisent MAPS Internatioanl inaugurated the exhibition. Hamad Mohammed al-Zakeeba, Director of Culture and Arts Department, Ministry of Culture and Sports, also attended the exhibition.
Speaking on the occasion, Hamad Mohammed al-Zakeeba lauded the creative ideas presented in attractive ways by the participating artists. He appreciated the exhibition for showing diverse the colours of Qatar.
He also appreciated Rashmi Agarwal, an Indian artist aslo, for organising the exhibition regularly every year and bringing together artists from different backgrounds.
Speaking to Community, Rashmi Agarwal said: “We at MAPS always give our member-artists a chance to shine before they step into the real world as practising artists and this is very evident at the exhibition. I am happy to see the overwhelming response from the art enthusiasts and artists’ community to our sixth exhibition in the series.
“With this exhibition every year, we try to highlight the true colours of Qatar basing on different themes. The Colours of Desert is the exhibition that refers to the desert sand as it contains vibrant colours. The talented artists with diverse backgrounds highlight one theme – QNV. The artists have tried to highlight four pillars of the vision – economic development, human development, social development and environmental development. The artists have used different techniques to highlight different features of the QNV in their own way. The artists have used oil colours, coffee powder, digital photography etc. The art works include surrealism, realism and abstract techniques.”
Ashud Ahmed, Ambassador of Bangladesh to Qatar, said: “Art is an international language to highlight different cultures and peoples. The organisers have succeeded in highlighting how different Doha-based artists view Qatar creatively. It was good to see so many Qatari and expatriate artists. It is an interesting idea to mingle the cultures of different countries and come up with important and significant messages. 
Omran al-Raesi, a young Qatari artist said: “I am 25-year-old. I started doing painting five years ago. It is a hobby for me. I am however trying my best to calm down on my own self and to take out what is inside me.
“I am exhibiting three art pieces in the group exhibition. My paintings speak about gazelle. I have highlighted the national animal of Qatar. I have used oil paints mainly. I have also used some water colours.
“In my paintings, I have focused on the eyes of gazelle. The art works show that the eyes of the animal speak about something.”
The names of the participating artists are: Noof Ali, Murali CA, Richard Bentley, Shilpi Mathur, Fatima Essa, Jamela al-Ansari, Fouz Saif Taheri, Prem Chokli, Shuaa Ali, Grace Hye Chung, Moudhi al-Hajri, Noof Almuriki, Omran al-Raesi, Kidist Brhane Gebregiorgis, Nagiya Moideen, Mala Waseem, Karen Alicia Sinclair, Sylvie Potapieff Gamby, Rabia Jadoon, Suman Agarwal, Kotteeswari Mahesh, Tessema Temtime Asrate, Shajee P Madhavan, Dana al-Safar, Boyet Marasigan, Sageer P. M. Salih, Sana Hassan Awan, Fouad al-Emadi, Hessa Kalla, Mohammed Muslim, Aldi Stassen, Evgeniya Goncharova, Maryam Almaadhadi, Essa al-Mulla, Dhiana Hijaz, Aisha AlMohanadi, Sreekumar Padmanabhan, Muna A Badr, Namsha Almarri, Abeer Rashid Alkuwari, Lyuba Jalladyan, Huda Basahel, Hanifa Abdulkader, Michael Conjusta, Bindu George, Nazish Hayyat Channa, Tatyana Bondareva, Rashmi Agarwal, Shehla Khalid Khan, and Naseema Shukoor.
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