One of the paintings by Contino on display.
DOHA: Twelve paintings by renowned Cuban contemporary artist Juan Arel Ruiz Contino are on display at “Strength and Convergence” exhibition which opened on Saturday at Cultural Village Foundation – Katara.
In his solo exhibition, Contino said he focused on falcons and Arabian horses as main subjects as he was inspired by these two dominant animals in Qatar.
“Through my participation in the “S’hail” international falconry festival last November, I got to see those amazing birds closely and decided to use them in my paintings for their meaningful characteristics,” Contino said.
The exhibition consisted of paintings, which are mostly inspired by Qatari heritage. He referred to one of his paintings entitled “Monarch of the Desert” that symbolizes the Qatari people and their leadership.
Cuban Ambassador to Qatar, Emilio Caballero Rodriguez, speaks at the launch of the exhibition at Katara.
Cuban Ambassador to Qatar Emilio Caballero Rodriguez opened the exhibition in the presence of several other ambassadors, diplomats and art enthusiasts.
Rodriguez expressed his deepest gratitude to Katara for hosting such a great and successful exhibition which according to him is a good initiative for cultural openness and exchange between Cuba and Qatar.
Katara had organized several Cuban events, including the exhibition “Artista” by Cuban artist Ernesto Milanes Ruiz which presented many paintings and modern handicraft depicting the environment in Qatar and the region.
