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By Isabel Ovalle
This year Qatar and Germany commemorate the 40th anniversary of their diplomatic relations. To celebrate this occasion, German artist Nidhi Wiesner gave a private showing of her artwork yesterday.
Held at the Rizon Jet VIP Terminal at Doha International Airport and organised by Grow, ‘Through the Looking Glass’ is a selection of art pieces that aim to reveal Qatar from an unexpected side using light and movement to draw in the viewers’ imagination about this region.
The event was attended by the German Ambassador, Angelika Storz-Chakarji, and the Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage H E Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kuwari. Musical entertainment was provided by the Doha Baroque Ensemble playing a fusion of classical and Arabic music.
The German-born artist has lived in Doha for almost a decade. Her art encompasses the influences of the country, coming together with her experiences of living in Europe, Australia and India, aspiring to create vivid and sensual canvasses.
“Qatar represented a journey for me into a surreal landscape. Here you have a nation built on sand, which surrounds the most sophisticated and luxurious environment. When I first arrived in Doha, there was this juxtaposition between the harsh heat and extraordinary colours of the yellow desert and turquoise waters, from which came gleaming monuments of steel and glass, celebrating the ambitions of a nation to position itself on the global map,” said the painter.
The artist added: “My semi-abstract work shows glimpses of luxury interiors. In my Arabian world, dots and patches of paint play with real objects like chandeliers and pianos, yet everything appears surreal.” Wiesner invited viewers to interpret with their own mind when they look at her work. “You have to use your own fantasy,” she added.
The 16 works that are part of the exhibition have been painted by the artist during the last eight years. “You could say they’re a retrospective. I’m planning on having them here for at least seven weeks,” she added. “It’s a retrospective, some are landscapes and some surrealistic like this environment is for me,” said the artist.
The painter reminisced about her first years in Qatar: “When I arrived eight years ago, everything was different. It has grown very fast, and whenever I go back to Europe for some time and come back it seems different.”
About the future of the local art scene, Wiesner stated that “everything opens up more and more here; the possibility that Qataris understand artists’ work grows daily. That’s quite a positive feeling for me, eight years ago I wasn’t sure about showing my art, and now there’s so much interest for culture and art.”
The artist trained at the Fine Art Institute in Cologne, Germany, and was mentored by German artist, Karl Marx. She has exhibited in Sydney, Brisbane, Cologne and London and her art can be found in the Ritz Carlton, Doha.
In one of the paintings at the showing yesterday, a red dress dances as if it were the artist herself in a stage-like environment. In another work, the ‘Call to Prayer’ manifests on a stony, pale subsoil with a clock-shaped icon calling the faithful to worship. Her brushstroke is wild and as paint runs down the canvas, the artist wants to tell the viewer how important it is that the paint itself has a life of its own by running free on the surface.
“I hope that this collection will allow Qataris the chance to feel connected not just to my world, but also to other European artists and to a bigger world,” said Wiesner.
On her part, the Ambassador considered the work of the German artist represents where East and West meet. She also highlighted that many things can be developed in the upcoming years, like the German school. To this end, and aiming to continue to celebrate the 40 years of relations, the Embassy is in the process of putting together a program of events that will most likely kick off after the summer. “We have something in the pipelines in the cultural side, but it will probably be after the summer,” she clarified.
“For us the main pillar of the cultural relations is the German school. It’s the best way to get to know each other better from a young age,” declared the diplomat. However, the Ambassador acknowledged that, for now, there are few Qataris at the school, but the number continues growing. In addition, a team of German archeologists is working here since March and will stay here until the temperatures are too high for them to work outdoors.
The Baroque Ensemble played a selection of Italian and German Baroque pieces and Arabic music. Three of the members of the Ensemble are German, with the remaining three being from the Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Egypt. The Ensemble uses the Kanoun, a traditional Arabic instrument, in a Baroque repertoire.
“It is a great honour to be asked to play at this prestigious event which celebrates the friendly relations between Germany and Qatar,” said Katrin Meingast of the Doha Baroque Ensemble. “Our music is a synthesis of Arabic and European traditions and we hope the guests find our unusual use of Arabic instruments and oriental percussion surprising and inspiring.”The Peninsula
