General Manager of Katara Prof Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al-Sulaiti along with visitors during the opening of the exhibition.
Doha: The Cultural Village Foundation – Katara yesterday opened the exhibition “Shaping the Trace: The Evolution of Artistic Practice” by Portuguese artist Cristina Alves.
The exhibition was organized in collaboration with the Embassy of the Portuguese Republic in the State of Qatar and was attended by General Manager of Katara Prof. Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al-Sulaiti alongside several ambassadors, representatives of diplomatic missions, and a group of artists and enthusiasts of the visual arts.
The exhibition features 54 artworks, offering a selection from various stages of the artist’s creative journey. It traces the evolution of her visual language and technical approach over time, from her early explorations in sculpture and form to her later mural works and richly textured sculptural compositions. In her pieces, the artist employs a diverse range of natural and recycled materials, presenting an artistic vision that examines the relationship between matter, form, and memory.
The works reflect the transformations within her practice, ultimately crystallizing into a unique creative identity she terms “Orisascape.” In her work, the artist employs a diverse range of materials and media, including natural fibres, recycled fabrics, ropes, shells, stones, metallic elements, and pigments, reconfiguring them into artistic compositions where organic elements intertwine with sculptural structures.
This aesthetic approach reflects her keen interest in natural details, the traces left by the passage of time, and the transformations that objects undergo. The exhibited works explore themes related to identity, human memory, and nature. Some compositions draw inspiration from the sea and coastal communities, while others delve into concepts such as balance, liberation, change, and continuity. The exhibition highlights the artist’s ability to transform simple, discarded materials into a new visual vocabulary, imbuing them with a presence and meaning that transcend their original functions.
This exhibition is organized as part of a cultural collaboration between Katara and the Embassy of the Portuguese Republic in the State of Qatar. It aims to foster artistic and cultural exchange, offering the public an opportunity to engage with diverse international artistic practices and discover new trends and approaches in contemporary visual arts. The exhibition will be open to visitors from October 15 to October 28, 2026, in Hall 2 of Building 47, between 10am and 10pm.
