Doha: UCL Qatar Masters students on the Museum and Gallery Programme have partnered with Qatar Art Center to curate an exhibition exploring the process of making art. The exhibition will open on 26 March and will run until 25 April 2019.

Since its creation in the 1990s by His Excellency Sheikh Hassan bin Mohammed Al-Thani, the Qatar Art Center is hosting its first ever public exhibition. It has served as a space and a home for prominent Arab artists to live, work, explore, as well as create art together.

‘For the Sake of Art’ is an exhibition that will feature art that has been created within the walls of the Qatar Art Center by four prominent Arab artists: Yousef Ahmad, Nazar Yahya, Dia Al-Azzawi and its founder Sheikh Hassan bin Mohammed Al-Thani. It offers a rare glimpse of the memories, friendships, stories, exploration and processes these artists have shared and experienced over the past two decades.

The MA in Museum and Gallery Practice is designed to help shape future generations of museum professionals and cultural leaders in Qatar and beyond. The exhibition project is one of the core modules the MA students undertake each year to create an exhibition. In doing so, the students bring to life their new knowledge and skills by delivering museum outputs to a high professional standard.

Talking ahead of the exhibition, Syeda Arman Zabi, MA student, said: "When I began the programme at UCL Qatar, I didn't have any experience in creating exhibitions. The past six months have been tough but very rewarding. I've had the chance to put what I have learned in the classroom in to action and have gained invaluable experience working on the exhibition "For the Sake of Art."

His Excellency Sheikh Hassan bin Mohammed Al-Thani, Founder of Qatar Art Center, stated: “Qatar Art Center is a hub which offers space, providing differing and creative talents with an opportunity to engage, be supported and promote their own production. It can be perceived as an “artists’ residency”.

“The artwork here goes beyond the time in which it is completed – it communicates with modern day audiences and inspires Qatar’s communities, provoking different thoughts and perspectives.”

Speaking about the role of the students, he said:

“The curators of the exhibition are responsible for creating a narrative from the artwork, by constantly utilising the exhibition space to portray a theme or message. This is reflected with the UCL Qatar student project - the Center offered them a space to display their curation and bring to light their artistic vision. UCL Qatar students have become part of the artistic scene in Qatar, and the academic institution itself has become a partner in the artistic processes and developments here.”

Dr Catharina Hendrick, Lecturer in Museum Studies and one of the Directors of the exhibition, stated: “The exhibition project is a demanding process for all students, who must conceive, curate, market, design and install an exhibition.  The students have excelled and have worked extremely well to put on an exhibition to a high professional standard. ‘For the Sake of Art’ is a unique exhibition which gives visitors a glimpse in to the ways artists experiment, create and explore the world through art. The students and UCL Qatar look forward to welcoming you to this marvellous exhibition.”

The exhibition will be open to the public from 26 March until 25 April at the Qatar Art Center in Al-Messila. As part of the education and community outreach programme, the team has organised a panel discussion called “Artists in Conversation” which will take place on 26 March. In addition, a series of workshops for families and teenagers will be held on 28 March and on 6, 11 and 20 April (free entry). The workshops will include art-related activities within the exhibition space hosted by exhibition team members of UCL Qatar.

For more information about this exhibition please visit our Instagram Page: @qatarartcenter or look for our hashtag #ForTheSakeOfArtExhibition #uclqatar #uclqurates

Exhibition Team Members:

  • Issa Al-Shirawi – Project Manager
  • Evangelia Patmali – Curatorial Team
  • Laura Murane – Curatorial Team
  • Hannah Reder – Interpretation Team
  • Tahmida Afroze – Design Team
  • Elena Sementino – Design Team
  • Monira Al-Khayarin – Design Team
  • Argyri Platsa – Education and Community Outreach Team
  • Haya Al-Thani - Education and Community Outreach Team
  • Syeda Arman Zabi – Evaluation Team
  • Paiyu Zhang – Evaluation Team
  • Siqi Li – Marketing Team
  • Maram Al-Qershi – Marketing Team

NOTES FOR EDITORS:

UCL is recognised as one of the most distinguished universities in the world, ranking 7th in the world. UCL Qatar, established in partnership with Qatar Foundation, is a centre of excellence for cultural heritage studies. UCL is the first British University to open a campus in Qatar offering two Master’s degree courses specifically aimed at meeting the national needs for a highly trained professional workforce in museology and library studies that will enable the further development of the heritage, museums and library sectors in Qatar.

His Excellency, Sheikh Hassan Bin Mohammed bin Ali Al-Thani.

Issa Al-Shirawi, MA student and Project Manager of ‘For the Sake of Art’ exhibition

From the left: Evangelia Patmali and Laura Murane, MA students and the Curators of ‘For the Sake of Art’ Exhibition

Hannah Reder, MA student and head of Interpretation of ‘For the Sake of Art Exhibtion’

Elena Sementino, MA student and one of the three members of the Design team of ‘For the Sake of Art’ Exhibition

Exhibition team presenting the exhibition concept and plans to Sheikh Hassan bin Mohammed Al-Thani and Dia Al-Azzawi

 On the right: Argyri Platsa from the education team during an update meeting.

Marketing team in an on-camera interview with the artist Yousef Ahmad.

Design team measuring the space of the exhibition before the process of installation.

Curatorial and Education teams conducting condition reports on the artworks.

Curatorial and interpretation teams in conversation with the artist Nazar Yahya.

© Press Release 2019

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