Doha: The Gallery at Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUarts Qatar) will be organizing an exhibition titled 're:collections' from September 15, 2022, to December 17, 2022.
The exhibition at the Qatar Foundation (QF) partner university is free and open to the public from 9am - 5pm, Sunday to Thursday, and from 10am - 4pm on Saturdays.
The exhibition features artworks by six locally-based artists who drew inspiration from the local context, to develop and produce the artworks and installations on display.
're:collections' is curated by Yasmeen Suleiman, Head of Materials Library, VCUarts Qatar. Suleiman is a Palestinian designer and educator based in Qatar. She earned a BFA (Hons.) in Interior Design with a Minor in Art History, and an MFA in Design, from VCUarts Qatar. Her research explores concepts of temporality and permanence within the preservation of culture, crafts, architecture, and design.
Suleiman explained the overarching theme and intent of the exhibition. She said, "This exhibition attempts to unpack the infinite readings, interpretations, and translations that occur when thinking of place, memory, and time. It brings together a diverse group of creatives who investigate context through the natural and built environment and its social and cultural layers."
Amena Al-Yousef, a VCUarts Qatar Painting + Printmaking Class of 2019 graduate will be showcasing a series of natural mineral pigments extracted from rocks and plants in the Qatari landscape. Al-Yousef is an interdisciplinary artist whose work focuses on the subject of human interaction with nature. She considers her artistic practice to be a continuous study that helps her understand nature, and the change in human perception and approach towards it, especially with the rise of technology.
Fatma and Reem Al Sehlawi, from ATLAS Bookstore, will be displaying a set of books and stamps that explore the trajectory of research on Qatar's native flora and fauna from the 1980s to 2022.
In 2015, they co-founded Atlas Bookstore as a lending library and bookstore specializing in books and magazines referencing the architecture and urbanism spanning the region of Western Asia and North Africa. In their curated display 'Botanical Collectibles', they showcase Atlas Bookstore's additional focus on the landscape and the importance of preserving and disseminating knowledge on the native and naturalized flora of Qatar.
Nayla Al Mulla, a VCUarts Qatar Fashion Design alumna, will be exhibiting a four-meter-long hand-stitched 'Covid-quilt' that was created during quarantine in Doha. The title of her work is, fittingly so, 'I Had Other Plans'. Following her undergraduate studies at VCUarts Qatar, Al-Mulla specialized in Pattern-Making and Garment Production, coupled with a master's in Design Research from Central Saint Martins and London College of fashion. Her experience includes working on the military uniform project at the Center for Research in Design, as a garment technician at Qatar's first luxury brand Qela, and Assistant Professor at VCUarts Qatar.
Markus Elblaus will be presenting a series of colorful and minimalist images taken on his explorations of the New Industrial Area in Qatar, which he describes as the working heart of the country. Elblaus is a Swedish photographer and artist who has been residing in Doha since 2007.
Christto & Andrew, an artistic duo based in Doha, Qatar, and Copenhagen, Denmark, will be presenting abstract photographs inspired by Qatar's culture.
Simone Muscolino, Associate Professor, and Director, Art Foundation, VCUarts Qatar will be showcasing 'The Moving Postcards Project'.
