Katara General Manager Prof Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti (third left) and MAPS International President and QIAF Head, Rashmi Agarwal (third right) along with other officials during the inauguration of the 4th Qatar International Arts Festival.
The Cultural Village Foundation, Katara and MAPS International inaugurated yesterday the fourth edition of the country’s largest arts festival “Qatar International Arts Festival” (QIAF). The theme for this year’s festival is “Global Art with Football and Sports,” highlighting the sport of football as Qatar is the host country for the mega-sporting event, FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
Various activities are being held for the six-day event happening at Buildings 15, 18, and 19 at Katara. Over 300 artists from all around the globe come together to showcase their artworks, coming from 65 countries. Twelve international galleries exhibiting painting and sculptures were also unveiled. The artists come from Qatar, United Kingdom, Spain, India, Sweden, Iran, UAE, Colombia, Kazakhstan, Russia and China.
Katara General Manager, Prof Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti said: “We are pleased to organise this festival which includes a large group of artists from different art schools and from different countries in their cultures and civilisations. This indicates that Katara has succeeded in being a meeting place for creators and a bridge of communication between peoples.”
He emphasised that such initiatives enhance Qatar’s cultural landscape since they significantly contribute to the revival of the artistic movement and the sharing of knowledge and experiences among artists.
MAPS International President and QIAF Head, Rashmi Agarwal expressed her gratitude to Katara for hosting the event which provided a platform for local and international artists.
Moreover, she explained that the arts festival offers professional exposure to artist in and outside Qatar. “The festival helps many international artists in gaining recognition and exhibiting their artworks in Qatar.”
“QIAF is the distinctive art event in the region that connects the artists worldwide. In tandem with other programmes, it is extremely important to bring global art experts connoisseur, art critic and art academician in the region together on the shared platform.”
Art exhibitions feature different kinds of themes including football, Arabian horses, Qatar’s famous landmarks and culture, Indian folk arts, among others.
On Sunday, artists had a Cultural Tour where they explored the tourists destinations in the country including the 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sport Museum, National Museum of Qatar, FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Official Countdown Clock, powered by Hublot, and Al Shaqab, among others.
Every day, until the festival concludes on September 30, Live Painting will be held. Aside from this, Painting and Sculpture exhibition are on view; 12 Master Classes to be held today at Building 16; Art Panel talk happening tomorrow, also at Building 16; and Cultural Evening Show will take place also tomorrow.
And on Thursday, September 29: Artistic Fashion Show, and on Friday, September 30: the Award Ceremony will be held.
