Qatar Museums is currently hosting an exhibition, ‘Qatar Contemporary: Art and Photography’ at the Manege Central Exhibition Hall in St Petersburg, part of the Qatar Russia 2018 Year of Culture programme. The exhibition is presented as part of VII Saint Petersburg International Cultural Forum.
The exhibition is open from 19 November until 10 December, and supported by the Doha Film Institute and Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar. It is by far the largest of its kind to be hosted in Russia.
Building a Vision: Photography from Qatar features over 250 photographs from 60 photographers of different nationalities living in Qatar. The exhibition is curated by Dr Giles Hudson and Sheikha Maryam Al Thani. Also on display are 200 photographic treasures from Qatar Museums’ historical collections exhibited together for the first time.
States of Transformation, the second part of the exhibition is curated by Dr Bahaa Abudaya. It features 100 contemporary works from 46 artists of 13 different nationalities from Qatar’s local art scene.
According to Director of Exhibitions Sheikha Reem Al Thani, the exhibition celebrates the past, present and future of Qatar.
We are honoured to bring those stories to audiences in Russia for the first time and look forward to future cultural exchanges between our two countries.’
A Visual Introduction to Qatar
The photographic section of the exhibition provides an introduction to the visual landscape of Qatar and showcases the work of contemporary photographers based in the country. Sections are devoted to photographic portraiture, architectural photography and more experimental work. Also on display are works of photographers who took part in the Years of Culture photographic exchanges organised by Qatar Museums, including Russian photographers Danila Tkachenko and Zhenya Mironov.
The historic photographs include exhibits from Russia and the wider Middle East. Dating from the birth of photography to the present day, they speak to the importance of the photographic medium as a means of cross-cultural discovery, communication and exchange, as well as themes of contemporary relevance.
Contemporary Qatari Art
The latter part of the exhibition is dedicated to artworks by contemporary Qatari artists, including participants to the Artist in Residence programme. Three thematic sections present over a hundred works by Qatari artists and sculptors, each work demonstrating a personal interpretation of dynamic changes in the cultural and material life of the country, as well as views and perceptions of Qatari society.
The Qatar Russia 2018 Year of Culture is designed to deepen understanding between nations and their people through mutual exchanges of arts, culture and heritage. For more information about the ongoing exhibition at St Petersburg, visit qm.org.qa.