Another Public Art Installation by Kaws Unveiled at Dadu Gardens
Qatar Museum unveiled Dadu Gardens, a signature feature of Dadu, Children’s Museum of Qatar with a huge public installation by Kaws taking all the attention.
The Promise, a public art installation by renowned US-based artist KAWS, is part of Dadu Gardens.
The artist Brian Donnelly better known as KAWS, is a Jersey-born artist whose affinity for collaborations, evocative illustrations, and toys have made him a fixture of 21st-century pop culture. Kaws: had a solo show in January 2020 in Doha, a survey that explores the artist’s career and vast oeuvre, featuring paintings, graphic design, small-scale objects, and large-scale sculptures made over the past 20 years.
His alias doesn’t stand for anything in particular – he just liked the way the letters looked together as a tag. But his work has gained huge appreceation. His work is hyper-commodified and utterly global and though the context might change, the iconography of each of his peices have only grown over time. The global appeal is seen in the context of the merchandise that gets lapped up the moment they are on sale.
The event in Doha was more about Dadu Gardens as it embodied a first-of-its-kind publicly funded national entity in Qatar, the Dadu, Children’s Museum of Qatar that “aims to make the local community feel empowered through its collective contributions towards enriching the cultural, environmental, and social ecosystems in the country.”
Ministers in attendance at the Dadu Gardens unveiling included Her Excellency Dr. Hanan bint Muhammad Al-Kuwari, Minister of Public Health; HE Buthaina bint Ali Al Jabr Al Nuaimi, Minister of Education and Higher Education; and HE Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al-Misnad, Minister of Social Development and Family.
Dr. Mohamed Al-Sada, President of the Dadu Advisory Committee, said: “Today marks a momentous occasion as we unveil Dadu Gardens – an enriching space for children and families in Qatar to learn and thrive. Dadu Gardens is the first phase of the Dadu, Children’s Museum of Qatar and a place where children can learn about sustainability, the green economy, healthy habits and the environment. We extend gratitude to the founding family members for their generous contributions. The donor model on which the Dadu, Children’s Museum of Qatar is based, means that the private sector and members of the community are able to actively contribute to the future success of Qatar and its people.”
Representatives of the Dadu Founding Family ‒ donors of QAR 3.65million or more to the project ‒were in attendance during the opening ceremony of Dadu Gardens. The Dadu Founding Family members currently include: Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, Baladna, Baladiya, ConocoPhillips, DAAM, Eni, ExxonMobil, IntesaSanPaolo, Ooredoo, Shell and SLB.
Throughout the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Dadu Gardens invites children and their families to participate in a series of activations centred on the theme of nature and environment, with Dadu, Children’s Museum of Qatar, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, 321 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum and the National Museum of Qatar coming together to deliver vibrant cultural programming to engage and educate the local community and visitors to Qatar.
Dadu Gardens showcases Qatar Museums’ commitment towards sustainability and is located on grounds that includes programming and event spaces, water features and diverse landscapes, an amphitheatre, playgrounds, and picnic areas. The community space comprises an outdoor kitchen, community garden and permaculture garden with different types of edible landscapes including an herb garden, vegetable crops and fruit trees.
