Qatar Museums’ landmark Fire Station Artist in Residence programme announces winners of third round

16 Sep 2017, Doha:

Qatar Museums’ (QM) Fire Station: Artist in Residence programme, a landmark initiative designed to grow the next generation of artistic talent in Qatar, has announced the next group of talented artists who will take part in the 2017-2018 edition.

Following a comprehensive application and review process, which saw the highest number of applicants to date, 18 local painters, designers, sculptors, architects, photographers and visual artists were invited to join the growing community of Fire Station: Artist in Residence participants.

Under the visionary guidance of QM’s Chairperson, Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the programme was launched in September 2015 and is designed to take the participants’ passion for art to the next level. The initiative aims to create a space that offers an indigenous, local approach to creativity and artistic production and is open to local Qatari artists and residents of Qatar.

As part of the programme, which runs in nine-month cycles, the new group of artists will move into one of the studios at the Fire Station, collaborate with fellow creatives and develop their own technique. They will have a chance to meet curators, benefit from weekly mentoring sessions and work with arts professionals from all over the world, representing Qatar in the international cultural community.

Khalifa Al Obaidli, Director of the Fire Station, welcomed the artists during a reception hosted on Tuesday, 12th September, where the new residents were able to meet one another and share their hopes and plans for their residencies.

Khalifa Al Obaidli, Director of the Fire Station, said:
“Each year we welcome tremendously talented individuals to join the First Station: Artist in Residence family and each year I am amazed by the passion and creativity I see in the applicants. I am proud to say that the programme has been a launching pad for many superior talents who have exhibited all over the world and I can’t wait to see the work that will be created during this round.”

The full list of the 18 talented artists who will participate in the 2017-2018 Artist in Residence programme is:

  1. Mubarak Nasser Al Thani (Qatar)
  2. May Saleh Al Mannai (Qatar)
  3. Fatima Mohammed (Qatar)
  4. Ahmad Nooh Ahmad (Qatar)
  5. Yasser Abdulla Al Mulla (Qatar)
  6. Fatma Al Naimi (Qatar)
  7. Yousef Fawzi Bahzad (Qatar)
  8. Aisha Al Fadhala (Qatar)
  9. Aisha Al Malki (Qatar)
  10. Shouq Al Mana (Qatar)
  11. Islam Shehab (Egypt)
  12. Alexandra Jawe Oddie (UK)
  13. Wajiha Pervez (Pakistan)
  14. Paul Valentine (USA)
  15. Ryan Browning (USA)
  16. Rachel Leah Cohn (USA)
  17. Diogo Esteves (Portugal)
  18. Yassmin Al Khasawneh (Jordan)

The Fire Station: Artist in Residence programme sits at the heart of Doha’s thriving art community. The Doha Fire Station was built in 1982 as a Civil Defence building, and was occupied by the fire brigade until late 2012. It was then handed over to QM to renovate and turn into the home of the Artist in Residence programme. Oil and gas exploration and production company Occidental Petroleum of Qatar Ltd. (Oxy Qatar) is the ‘Principal Sponsor’ of this initiative.