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“Qatar Narratives: A Country Expressed by Its Own Voices”

Contemporary Arabic artists draw on the traditions of their homeland

A A A Comments (2) By Dusti Rhodes Thursday, Nov 27 2008

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Arabic tradition is interpreted by modern minds in “Qatar Narratives: A Country Expressed by Its Own Voices.” The exhibit features artists from the Arab Gulf Region who preserve the writings, teachings, images and history of their motherland in contemporary masterpieces. Ali Hassan and Manar Al Muftah incorporate characters from the Arabic alphabet in their paintings and multimedia works, respectively. Photographers Hessa Al Obaid and Anthony Terrot immortalize today’s Arabic society — which might not look all that different from the past — in their images of everyday life, depicting kids playing in the desert and families walking down the street. Female artists such as Roqaya Hamad Al Thani, Souad Al Salem and Wadha Al Sulaity use photography and painting to represent their changing, but still subdued, role in Arabic society. Al Thani does this deliciously with a gender-bending photograph of a woman dressed in traditional male garb — a take on a popular Shepard Fairey piece. The artists offer a view into a world much discussed in these times but, unfortunately, rarely understood. Get a better perspective from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Through December 13. Deborah Colton Gallery, Summer Street Location, 2500 Summer. For information, call 713-869-5151 or visit www.deborahcoltongallery.com. Free.
Tuesdays-Saturdays, 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Starts: Oct. 23. Continues through Dec. 13, 2008