Voyagers Become Narrators at the Fire Station Museum Exhibition
A small collection of artists from Doha who attended international residency programmes showed their work in an exhibition at the Fire Station Museum recently. Titled “The Voyager is the Narrator: New York & Paris Residency Exhibition,” the exhibition opened on February 7, 2024, and it showcased the works of 10 talented artists who participated in the international residency program across Paris and New York.
The Voyager is the Narrator: New York & Paris Residency Exhibition, housed in galleries 3 and 4 at Fire Station, is open to the public until 20 April 2024 and it offers a captivating journey through the distinctive perspectives and creative expressions that have emerged from these two iconic cities.
The Fire Station: Artist in Residence is a world-class artist residency programme, designed to nurture, energise, and promote Qatar’s artistic and creative community, according to the officials.
The residency programme provides young artists with the opportunity to cultivate their talent through production support, curatorial advice, expert mentorships, as well as access to studio space. At the end of their residency, artists will have the opportunity to showcase their artworks in an exhibition held in the Garage Gallery.
The participating artists from Paris are Ibrahim Albaker, Voyyyd, Fatima Ahmed, Lolwa Almeghaiseb and Maryam AlTajer, and the participating artists from New York are Almaha Nasser, Saida Alkhulaifi, Zainab Alshibani, and Wadha Almesallam.
Amongst the first installations are the work of Zeinab AlShibani, in a new format of a book and aptly called To Be Read, which is a collection of printed artworks made in the form of an art book.
Another one by Fatima Ahmed is a photographic project that sheds light on a humanitarian story of people of Albinism in Tanzania, which has the highest rate of Albinism in the world. What is particularly sad about them is that though they are considered as a curse to their family and abandoned, Albinos are victims of witchcraft and superstitious beliefs as their body parts are considered to be lucky. In this art series, Ahmed has used art as a medium to shed light on a condition like Albinism which is not so familiar and thus get more attention and help.
A stunning piece of work by Saida AlKhulaifi, a visual artist, are images of silent landscapes that maintains human connections, where the artist has taken photographic prints of Al Baidaa, the empty desert on aluminium.
Maryam Al Tajer’s calligraphy is minute in its detail and on a large canvas that the artist has exhibited very innovatively.
Khalifa Al Obaidli, Director of Fire Station, said, “At the Fire Station, we believe in fostering an environment where artists can flourish. “The Voyager is the Narrator: New York & Paris Residency Exhibition” exhibition exemplifies the global perspective and diverse creativity that arise when artists engage with different cultures. We invite everyone to witness the rich tapestry of artistic expressions brought to life by our international residency programme.”
Saida Al-Khulaifi, Exhibition Curator, said, “Curating this exhibition has been a journey of discovery, witnessing the transformation of ideas into tangible expressions. The selected artworks reflect the cultural exchange and artistic growth experienced by each participant during their residencies in New York and Paris. Each piece tells a story, and collectively, they form a narrative of creativity.”
