Qatar artist’s work heads to London Design Biennale

Qatari artist Aisha Nasser al-Sowaidi will display new work at the prestigious London Design Biennale, taking place in the UK capital until September 23, Qatar Museums (QM) announced yesterday.

She joins some of the world’s most exciting and ambitious designers, innovators and curators – all of whom have been invited to show how design impacts our lives and influences our emotions.

Forty countries, cities and territories from across the world will be represented. Al-Sowaidi’s work has been chosen as Qatar’s entry.

Her installation – entitled The State of You – is inspired by the sense of nostalgia that pervades life in a city such as Doha, which is in a process of constant, rapid reinvention.

Visitors are invited to place their heads beneath seven dome-like “worlds”, each of which releases a different scented smoke.

Scents of perfume, tobacco, rain and mango emanate from the domes.

The domes are lined with a patterned ceramic, evoking traditional Qatari architecture, yet the outer shell is made of concrete, the dominant material used in Doha’s redevelopment.

Speaking from London, al-Sowaidi, said: “The contrasting elements used in my installation represent the past and the present – the non-physical past as smoke, and the physical ‘now’ as concrete. The scents I used have an emotional significance to me as they speak of memories that have shaped my identity.

“I am excited to be here in London, one of the cultural capitals of the world. This is a great opportunity to tell the story of Qatar and I thank Qatar Museums for supporting me on this incredible trip and for being a champion of our country’s arts and culture scene.”

QM, under the patronage of its chairperson HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, has supported al-Sowaidi’s participation as part of its commitment to foster and inspire the next generation of creative talent and thinkers, not just in Qatar, but internationally.

Khalid al-Ibrahim, chief strategic planning officer at Qatar Museums, said: “Through providing international platforms of self-expression, Qatar Museums is not only nurturing the country’s future generation of creators by allowing them to expand their creative horizons, but is also helping Qatar find its voice in today’s cultural debates through the stories of its artists. We are incredibly proud of Aisha’s journey and are looking forward to seeing her artworks showcased in other art capitals of the world.”

Al-Sowaidi is a multidisciplinary designer based in Doha. Her designs reflect on an ever changing and fast developing Qatar.

Her work incorporates old experiences and behaviours with contemporary designs inspired by household objects to maintain a feeling of familiarity.

Her designs tackle memories, nostalgia, and traces of time.

In 2016, al-Sowaidi was part of the Fire Station’s first Artist in Residence exhibition.

Her piece titled Remembrance of a Majlis, embodied memories and showcased how they shift and change from what people see in the present, to what they remember in the future.

Last year, she joined a number of her peers at the largest exhibition of Qatari contemporary art to open in Berlin, as part of Qatar Germany 2017.

She holds an MFA in Design Studies and a BA in Graphic Design.

One of the highlights of the global design calendar, London Design Biennale takes place at Somerset House in central London.

Through their installations, participants from six continents will respond to this year’s theme – Emotional States – which will investigate the important relationship between design, strong emotional responses and real social needs.

تشارك الفنانة القطرية عائشة السويدي في «بينالي لندن للتصميم» الذي انطلق أمس الأول، في العاصمة البريطانية لندن، ويستمر حتى 23 سبتمبر الحالي.

وتنضم عائشة إلى مجموعة من أكثر المصممين والمبتكرين وأمناء المتاحف الواعدين على مستوى العالم الذين يشاركون في «بينالي لندن للتصميم»، لإبراز قدرة التصميم على التأثير في حياة ومشاعر البشر، عبر أعمالهم الفنية. وتمثل هذه المجموعة 40 دولة ومدينة ومقاطعة من مختلف أنحاء العالم، وقد اُختيرَت عائشة السويدي لتمثيل دولة قطر.

وتشارك عائشة بعمل فني يحمل عنوان «حالتك أنت»، وقد استوحَت فكرته من شعور الحنين إلى الماضي الحاضر بقوة في مظاهر الحياة بمدينة الدوحة التي لا تتوقف فيها عجلة التطوير والتجديد عن الدوران. ويأخذ العمل الفني شكل سبع قباب ترمز لعوالم مختلفة، ولكل قبة رائحة نفّاذة يميزها الزائر عند دخوله تحتها، كرائحة العطور والتبغ والمطر وثمرة المانجو. وتتميز هذه القباب ببطانتها الداخلية المزخرفة بأنماط خزفية ترمز إلى العمارة القديمة في قطر، بينما تكسو الخرسانة القشرة الخارجية للقباب، لتعكس أبرز مواد البناء التي تطغى على مشهد الحياة العصرية في قطر.

وتقول عائشة السويدي، التي توجد حاليّا في لندن: «قصدتُ استخدام عناصر متناقضة في تشكيل عملي الفني لأرمز من خلالها إلى الماضي والحاضر، فالروائح المنبعثة بقوامها غير المادي ترمز إلى الماضي، والخرسانة بصورتها المادية تعكس الحاضر.;