Qatar-based art community MAPS Qatar – or Middle-East Art and Silk Painters – threw open the doors to the Doha Art Festival 2018 at Katara Building 22, Gallery 2, on Wednesday evening.

The exhibition is a “fitting tribute to Qatar’s fast-evolving journey in art and culture”, the organisers have said in a statement.

The eclectic art exhibition, featuring 35 established Qatar-based and international artists from 15 countries, was inaugurated by Ahmed al-Sayyed, assistant general manager of Katara – the Cultural Village Foundation; Ritu Kumaran, wife of the Indian ambassador to Qatar; Suhail Bukhari, prominent Indian businessman; Louise Cutajar, director of events at Qatar Museums, and other dignitaries.
The exhibition, running under the theme of evolution of the Arab culture and its positive impact, continues until May 12.

The exhibiting artists are Rashmi Agarwal, Fouad al-Emadi, Abdulrahman al-Dorani, Khalifa al-Obaidly, Abeer al-Kuwari, Parveena Khan, Michael Conjusta, Karen Sinclair, Neetu Singh Dhillon, Lyubov Jalladyan, Tatyana Bondareva, Shamil Kumar, Omar Alshahabi, Hessa-Kalla, Sreekumar Padmanabhan, Samina Sachak, Anu Radha, Noor al-Emadi, Shilpi Mathur, Sageer P M Salih, Mohamed Muslim, Samer Aboud Kass, Boyet Marasigan, Richard James Bentley, Prem Chokli, Lamiaa Mostafa, Shehla Khan, Naseema Shukoor, Ziyad Tariq Baqir, Moudhi al-Hari, Mahesh Kumar, Maliheh Rad, Jamshid Haghighat Ansari, Azita Madani and Maryam al-Ali.

Rashmi Agarwal, president and founder of MAPS Qatar, said: “This exhibition is both a glorious glimpse into the immense talent and potential of our artists here, and a wonderful opportunity for them to showcase their finest work before the growing tribe of art lovers in Qatar. MAPS, a collective of artists and educators in Qatar, is an innovative social art community that uses the arts to empower people and improve communities. It serves as a common platform for Qatar’s talented artists to share and showcase their work.”
“The distinct styles of all artists are as fascinating as their approach to the art and their choice of medium and treatment,” the organisers said.

MAPS is a chapter of Silk Painters International, US, for artists of various mediums and all sorts of creative minds. “Exhibitions and galleries are important stepping stones for aspiring artists, and MAPS will always try to give everyone a chance to shine before they step into the ‘real world’ as practising artists,” the statement adds.

Source: Gulf Times