W Doha Hotel & Residences, a luxury hotel in the Qatari capital, played host to the International New York Times’ “Art for Tomorrow” Conference organised with Qatar Museums and the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage of Qatar last week. 

Primarily sponsored by Sotheby’s, Art for Tomorrow saw the attendance of delegates such as artists, gallerists, architects, urban planners, political decision-makers, and cultural and financial experts. Key topics were the changing dynamics of art and architecture and their potential to change people and places, including how investment in art and culture contributes to urban spaces and can reinvigorate communities, the function of corporate investment in art, and how investing in cultural projects contributes to brand identity.

The speakers included Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Chairperson, Qatar Museums, who delivered the opening address; Jeff Koons, Artist; Akbar Al Baker, Group CEO Qatar Airways; and Mohammed Hafiz, Director, Athr Gallery, Jeddah; among others.

The event also transformed W Doha Hotel & Residences into an art gallery with the incredible talent of Qatar’s local artists. One of the Qatari artists, Yousef Ahmad’s handmade Qatari Palm Leaf Paper rolled and fitted in black wooden frame with coated black net metal was displayed at the Sotheby’s Lounge. His work was also made into a short film which was presented in the Immersive Room by Qatar Tourism Authority. Ahmad, a member of the first generation of modern artists in Qatar, has exhibited throughout the US, Europe and the Arab World, and is the Art Consultant to the New Arab Art Museum in Doha.

Another artist at the gallery was Omar Khalifa, who presented his “Double Exposure Art” with a pop-up art gallery. Khalifa’s exhibition used several double exposure works, in which profiles of people were superimposed over various landscapes. Visitors got the chance to become works of art themselves with their images superimposed onto classic Doha backgrounds.

Finally, the gallery saw an installation called “The Qatari Card Series” by Qatar Museum which featured artists Hessa Al Ali and Aziza Iqbal. The artwork was 14 playing cards characters produced on plexiglass, a solid transparent plastic. Playing cards, an activity done after the “Maghrib prayer” in every Majlis in Qatar, represent the strong bond the Qataris share. The rest of the cards’ design contained symbolic expressions of the Qatari culture with every pattern, costume and object carefully selected from everyday life in Qatar.

“It has been truly inspiring to be a part of this prestigious event. Like the organisers, we believe that art and architecture play a crucial role in shaping communities and enriching lives throughout the world. This is precisely the same reason why as a hotel, W Doha tries its best to support, in whatever capacity we have be it through hosting events like this, in the cultivation and meeting of creative minds that encourage a breadth of cultural exchange among our local and international guests,” said Safak Guvenc, area manager of Qatar and general manager for W Doha Hotel & Residences.  – TradeArabia News Service