Infinite Dimensions will be on view at the Fire Station through September 1, 2019

Doha, July 15, 2019: Qatar Museums (QM), under the patronage of its Chairperson, Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, today opens Infinite Dimensions at the Garage Gallery, the 700-square-meter exhibition space in the Fire Station. On view through September 1, 2019, the exhibition will feature more than 55 artworks created during a 9-month Artist in Residence Programme– an annual initiative that nurtures creative talent from across the country.

Infinite Dimensions will allow visitors the opportunity to discover and explore local contemporary art, through the display of a range of artworks, practices and mediums——among them sculpture, painting, video and sound works. The artists participating in the 2018-2019 residency were encouraged to examine conceptualism in their artistic practices.

The exhibition has been organized by Fire Station Curators Dr. Bahaa Abudaya (Curator of Contemporary Art) and Saida Al Khulaifi (Associate Curator and Senior Exhibition & Residence Program Coordinator).

Khalifa Al Obaidli Fire Station, Director of the Fire Station, commented on the exhibition: “Infinite Dimensions reflects the world-class artistic talent of Qatar’s creative community and is another example of how this program offers artists a chance to develop their practices. One of the reasons we accept submissions across a wide range of mediums is to encourage interdisciplinary and inclusive artmaking. This exhibition beautifully showcases these two components. I’m delighted to celebrate these artists as we end our season and look ahead to their future endeavors.”

Dr. Bahaa Abudaya explained: “Infinite Dimensions is a very unusual exhibition for the local art scene, because it’s exploring one of the most complicated and problematic contemporary art subjects — the question of conceptualism. It is the result of a very constructive and critical discussion between the curators and the artists at the Fire Station.”

Saida Al Khulaifi added: “Infinite Dimensions is the result of a 9-month dynamic process of working with the artists and reflects their growth and development. The idea versus execution is a core theme that guided this process, and the exhibition shows multiple outcomes experimenting with concepts such as ideas, mediums, sound and light.”

The exhibition is organized around three sections: “Tangible Spectrums,” “The Edge of Thoughts,” and “Visual Sphere”.

Section 1: Tangible Spectrums

This section includes artworks, which aim to explore abstract concepts, such as the subconscious, dreams and nightmares, and translate them into concrete visualizations. One example from the Tanglible Spectrums section is Jordanian artist Alaa Bata’s piece entitled Better Luck Next Time (2019), a door in the middle of the gallery space with an egg on its handle. Additional artists represented in this section include: Guillaume Rouseré (France); Nourbanu Hijazi (Saudi Arabia); Hassan Zeid Manasra (Jordan); Faisal Al Hajri (Qatar); and Michael Perrone (United States).

Section 2: The Edge of Thoughts

The theme of belonging – in a school, society or country – is explored in this section. Using abstract forms, vibrant colors, objects, movement and light, these artists’ personal stories are reflected in their artwork. For multi-disciplinary Qatari artist Maryam Al Ameri’s, dark humor and a distinct color pallet evoke memory and mood in her cinematic piece entitled School Dress (2019). Additional artists represented in this section include: Rouda A. Al-Khori (Qatar); Shaikha Al-Hardan (Qatar); Sarah Al-Ansari (Qatar); Abdulla Al-Kuwari (Qatar); and Mohammed Faraj Al Suwaidi (Qatar). 

Section 3: Visual Sphere

In the final section – Visual Sphere — themes of popular culture, local landscape, outer space and fantasy creatures are presented through sound, light, video and performance art encouraging the visitors to interact with each piece. For example, Egyptian artist Eman Makki’s noteworthy piece, Printer Up Above the World So High (2019) transcends the present moment and continues onward indefinitely with a printer that prints 100 billion dots on a roll of paper in reference to the 100 billion stars of the universe. Additional artists represented in this section include: Jesse Payne (United States); Sidra Zubairi (Pakistan); Lolwa Al Solaiti (Qatar); Sara Al-Fadaaq (Qatar); Nayla Ahmad Al-Mulla (Qatar) & Federica Visani (Italy); and Guillaume Rouseré (France).

A catalogue will accompany Infinite Dimensions, featuring an essay on the subject of conceptualism by Dr. Bahaa Abudaya, as well as artist statements and biographies.

The Artist in Residence Programme

The Artist in Residence Programme reflects QM’s vision of enriching the lives of all those who live in and visit Qatar and inspiring culture that breeds creativity and innovation. Twenty studios are open to the artists selected to join the Fire Station; four are reserved for visiting artists, the others are open to artists living Qatar. The residency’s mentoring sessions provide guidance from established local artists and QM museum leadership. The artists also have the opportunity to engage with international artists visiting Qatar. Representing a wide range of disciplines (including art, design, architecture and other fields), residents are welcomed for a period of nine months. All artists must go through an application process and are ultimately selected by a jury.

More on Arts & Culture