Curated Online Art Gallery

Artzine

Features & Interviews

Art for Tomorrow in Doha; The conference & beyond.

March 13, 2017ByTalenia Phua Gajardo

The third edition of Art for Tomorrow took place from March 10-13, 2017 at the W Doha Hotel & Residences, Qatar. The event attracted over 400 world-renowned art and cultural influencers from more than 35 countries, including museum directors, gallerists, curators, auction houses, collectors, entrepreneurs, investors, artists, architects, designers and government officials, as well as corporate and civic leaders. With interviews and solution-oriented discussions led by award-winning New York Times journalists, the conference investigated the issues that occupy the territory between art and public life. New boundaries, where and why art follows the rules or challenges them, and art's role in creating and influencing personal, corporate, urban and national identities were all explored. The event also examined the role of art as a catalyst for economic growth and development, as well as a mechanism for city or corporate branding. - The New York Times

Artist Liu Bolin challenges his audience by literally disappearing into the background – perhaps painting himself into supermarket shelving laden with products, cityscapes or slogans. "It’s my way to convey all the anxiety I feel for human beings," he says. This piece is entitled 'Hiding in the City No.87, Demolition'.

'The Invisible Man', Chinese Contemporary artist Liu Bolin, discussing his work, process and inspirations. Image courtesy of The New York Times.

Artists Barthélémy Toguo, Subodh Gupta and Faig Ahmed on one of the panels discussing their roots and individual cultures.

Artist Christo taking the audience through some of his epic public projects.
Christo emphasized that while he was not interested in discussing politics, his projects were inherently very political.

The New York Times organized several Private Art Tours around Doha for the conference delegates. The first stop was the QM Gallery Al Riwaq.

A solo show of one of the most renowned Arab artists, Dia al-Azzawi, shown across two locations; the QM Gallery Al Riwaq and the Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art.

The exhibition, 'DIA AL-AZZAWI: A RETROSPECTIVE (FROM 1963 UNTIL TOMORROW)', showcases over 546 works across fifty years and a range of media, aims at mapping an itinerary of modernism and profiles the practice of the Iraqi artist. Curated by Catherine David, the exhibition is opened in October 2016 and goes on until the 16th of April 2017. "Dia al-Azzawi belongs to a generation of artists and intellectuals who were galvanized in their youth by the politics of Arab nationalism but crushed by the violence of dictatorship brought about by politics. His practice developed in response to that violence, becoming in the 1970s a witness to the various forms of oppression that broke out across the Arab world."