Al Markhiya Gallery & Art 29 to Present Works of Arab Women Artists

posted on: Feb 24, 2018

SOURCE: THE PENINSULA

Al Markhiya Gallery has collaborated with Art 29 for the first time to present a panorama of the differing vistas of Arab women artists of today through the “Perspectives-Contemporary Arab Women Artists” exhibition which opened yesterday at Art 29 at W Doha Hotel and Residences.

Art enthusiasts can enjoy a rich collection of 27 works by 11 Arab women artists representing seven Arab countries on display at the show until March 19. “The concept of the exhibition is to showcase women artists because women are always underrepresented in contemporary art,”  Heather Alnuweiri from the Sales and Marketing Department at Al Markhiya, told The Peninsula.

“Since its establishment the gallery has been on a mission to promote Qatari and Arab artists and two of the new artists we are working with are presented in this exhibition, namely Fetooh Shummoh from Kuwait and  Fatma Alshebani from Qatar,” she added.

Alshebani’s two intriguing sculptures greet visitors at the threshold of the exhibition area which evokes a unique industrial vibe. Called ‘My Bouqnag”, the 150cm high black-and-gold sculptures are reminiscent of the artist’s childhood when she used to wear the ‘bouqnag’ –a traditional gold embroidered head cover worn by girls.

From Doha to New York, London and Paris, Alshebani has displayed her works which mainly delve into very important elements of her culture and heritage.

Among the highlights of the exhibition are three paintings from Ebtisam Al Saffar’s “The Remaining Face”  series, in which the artist creates striking and mesmerizing faces which are unique in form, texture and colours.

“Ebtisam Al Saffar is the first Qatari artist to complete the Fire Station’s Art Residency Program in Paris. We have been working with Ebtisam from the very beginning and we love her works,” said Alnuweiri.

Four calligraphic design works by another Qatari artist Wadha Al Sulaiti, including two mixed media on textile pieces also figure prominently in the exhibition. On the status of Arab women artists, Alnuweiri said: “I think they are really strong. There are probably more Qatari women artists now and what I love about them is that they have their own unique distinct style which cannot be mistaken from others and that’s partly how we chose these artists for this exhibition.”

Other artists whose works are shown at the exhibition are Reem Yassouf and Iman Hasbani from Syria, Ginou Chouheiri and Mona Nahleh from Lebanon, Amnah Al Nasiri from Yemen, Dina Mattar from Palestine, Fetooh Shummoh from Kuwait and Hilda Hiary from Jordan.

Doha’s oldest privately owned gallery, Al Markhiya continues its mission promoting, exhibiting and selling Qatari and Arab contemporary art. It is known for its flagship event  ’40 Minus’ which seeks to promote emerging artists under the age of 40. Currently, it has two exhibition spaces-one at Katara Art Centre and another at the Fire Station which is the first privately owned gallery that opened at the museum.

Art 29 has been established to inspire and nurture creativity by showcasing the works of emerging local, regional and international artists. The expansive gallery has previously featured prominent Qatari names including Ahmed bin Majed Al Maadheed, the artist behind the iconic “Tamim-al-Majid” portrait, Abdulwahed Al Mawlawi who is known for documenting local artistic expression from the late 1990s to 2002, Lulu M, a self-taught artist recognised for her minimalist abstract compositions and recently Fahad Al Obaidly, an artist who wears many hats being a fashion designer, filmmaker, stylist and curator.