Doha, Qatar: Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of Qatar Museums (QM) HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad Al-Thani inaugurated the "Changing Gates" art exhibition at the Fire Station.
Running until December 31, 2025, the exhibition, which culminated the 9th Artist in Residence (AIR) Programme at the station, showcases the artworks of 15 artists:
Salha Al Subaie, Reem Al Shammari, Sarah Al Nuaimi, Ghalia Al Mahmoudi, and Lulwah Al Mughaiseeb from Qatar.
Alaa Al Barazi from Syria, Alexandrine Gueran from France, Surabhi Jaykhawadd from India, Khaled Al Arabi and Reham Mohammed from Sudan, Naeema Al Mujdoubah from Jordan, Nada Al Kharashi from Egypt, John Venditti from Canada, Fatima Al Siddique from Pakistan, and Natalia Mejhia from Colombia.
The artworks literally reflect their predilections, sources of inspiration, as well as the diverse materials they leverage to implement their ideas, from a combination of multimedia that includes sound, light, colors, metals, and ceramics.
In this regard, Reem Al Shammari highlighted to Qatar News Agency (QNA) the AIR, which helped her promote her artistic interests, blending her expertise as a jewelry designer holding a patent for engraving the eye imprint on precious metals.
She employed clay and other media, along with colors, to construct an epochal obelisk reflecting the eye imprint civilization, drawing inspiration from the obelisk as a document in the architecture of ancient civilizations.
Al Shammari further indicated that her works are inspired by heritage themes through artistic and aesthetic approaches, integrating contemporary techniques.
For her part, artist Fatima Al Siddique affirmed to QNA the meritorious AIR experience through studios that are well-retrofitted, the station's supervision, the artists' interaction with one another, and the sharing of expertise.
Al Siddique stated that she showcased five artworks in the exhibition, along with a mural painted on a table cover, in which she drew inspiration from her cultural heritage, represented in traditions, food culture, fashion, and colors, reshaping them across the canvases in a celebration of hues and forms within this rich cultural blend.
Overall, the exhibition is part of the "Changing Gates" events, an 18-month campaign that pays tribute to Qatar's cultural pathway spanning the past 50 years since the inception of the National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ).
