Doha: Qatar Creates announced yesterday a weeklong public programme from March 10 to 18, featuring an exciting lineup of film screenings, art exhibition openings, creative dialogues and workshops.
H E Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairperson of Qatar Museums and Doha Film Institute (DFI) in a statement said: “Each year at the spring gathering of Qatar Creates, we present a wide-ranging cultural programme that celebrates the diversity and talent of the nation and illuminates major topics of local, regional, and international interest.”
“The exciting programme planned for this March exemplifies all that Qatar Creates offers: showcasing Qatari cinema through Doha Film Institute events, highlighting the perspectives of outstanding local and regional photographers at Tasweer, raising fascinating and urgent issues through Olafur Eliasson’s remarkable installations and projects, and much more. We look forward to welcoming everyone to explore and enjoy, in the spirit of discovery and dialogue of Qatar Creates.”
Qatar Creates is the year-round national cultural movement that curates, promotes, and celebrates the diversity of cultural activities in the country. The press conference yesterday was led by Khalifa Al Obaidli, Director of Tasweer Photo Festival.
Others who led the press conference included Bouthayna Baltaji, Head of Exhibitions and Heritage Exhibit Section at National Museum of Qatar and Abdulrahman Al Ishaq, Director of Public Art at Qatar Museums.
Highlights of the programme include the beginning of the 9th edition of DFI’s yearly industry incubator event, Qumra 2023, which is essential to the success of first and second-time filmmakers from the Arab world and beyond; the second biennial Tasweer Photo Festival Qatar, and the debut of several art exhibitions, including the first solo exhibition of artist Olafur Eliasson’s work in the Gulf region.
The Tasweer Photo Festival Qatar runs from March 15 to 20, and on March 15 it will also debut two prominent exhibitions: “A Chance To Breathe,” which displays photographs and documents the Rohingya community at Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, the world’s largest refugee camp; and “Doha Fashion Fridays,” which celebrates the cultural diversity of the migrant population in Qatar through fashion and photography.
On March 17, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art will open the exhibition “Beirut and the Golden Sixties: A Manifesto of Fragility” which revisits a turbulent chapter in the development of modernism in Beirut. It features over 230 artworks and 300 archival documents from nearly 40 collections worldwide.
Olafur Eliasson’s first solo exhibition in the Gulf region entitled “Curious Desert” will be launched on March 19 at the National Museum of Qatar.
The outdoor installation consists of 12 temporary pavilions that Eliasson considers to form an artistic laboratory in the desert.
Moreover, Qumra 2023 will be held in an innovative hybrid format with in-person events from March 10 to 15, and virtual sessions from March 19 to 21.
Qatar Creates has also partnered with Clown Skateboard x Paris Saint-Germain on the release of an exclusive capsule collection that combines skateboarding, apparel, and digital art.
The launch event will be on March 15 at Doha Fire Station.
