Doha: A pearl painting exhibition has been unveiled at Mondrian Hotel by Fire Station Artist in Residence (AIR) alumni Haytham Sharrouf.
Entitled “Pearlo,” the exhibition consists of eight paintings with pearl as the main subject of each of the artworks where he incorporated it within the human anatomy.
The event is the second collaboration between the hotel and Fire Station featuring artists who have been part of AIR.
“I was really fascinated with pearls. It is a cultural element because it defines the past, present and future,” the artist said. He explained that his exhibition connects cultural element with artistic storytelling narrative. Sharrouf said this in a video posted on his Instagram account.
“When I moved to Qatar, I was fascinated with pearl because it defines the nation. Pearls are formed when an irritant enters the oyster,” he interchanged the ‘oyster’ to ‘human anatomy’, thus forming a pearl depicted in his paintings. This, he said is a “transformation” where humans are shaped by emotions, experiences, how our memories can shape us from inside.
Before oil was discovered in the country, the economy depended on pearl fishing.
“I painted inside of the anatomy where each painting has a different story to tell, it has shades of red — from sadness, to love, to intimacy,” Sharrouf explained.
The Pearlo exhibition can be seen at the Frozen Forest Lobby of the hotel and will be on display until July 21.
Born in Venezuela and raised in Lebanon, Haytham Sharrouf is an interior architect and graphic designer who graduated from American University of Science and Technology.
He was part of the Artist in Residence programme of the Fire Station last year wherein his exhibition entitled “Grey Times” embodies the relationship of man and engineering.
