Ah di Qatar juga ada semacam FPI rupanya..
CNN.com
Nudity courts controversy in Qatar's new museum
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
* Mathaf Arab Museum of Modern Art set to open later this month
* Museum's chief curator says museum will not shy away from exhibiting
controversial works
* Arab art expert Saleh Barakat says Qatar wants to convey it's an open
society
* Mathaf is one of several prestigious art exhibition spaces planned for
the region
Doha, Qatar (CNN) -- With exhibits showing nudity and politically radical
ideas, Qatar's brand new modern art museum may raise a few eyebrows in the
traditionally conservative Middle East.
The Mathaf Arab Museum of Modern Art, founded by powerful Qatari art patron
Sheikh Hassan bin Mohamed bin Ali Al-Thani, is slated to open in Qatar's
capital, Doha, just before the new year.
Wassan Al-Khudhairi, Mathaf's chief curator, says one of the museum's major
contributions to the growing Middle Eastern art scene will be to push the
boundaries of what is deemed acceptable in the region.
That means that works containing nudity and politically sensitive imagery --
often taboo subjects in this part of the world -- will not be subject to
censorship, according to Al-Khudhairi.
"The collection has these kinds of works in it. The collection has nudes; the
collection has political works. These things are part of the collection -- we
can't deny it."
She added that Mathaf was willing to risk criticism for showing controversial
works.
"I think there will be all kinds of feedback and the museum is about creating a
space for dialogue; a platform for discussion," Al-Khudhairi said.
Mathaf, which means "museum" in Arabic, will host a collection of more than
6,000 artworks dating from the late 1800s to the middle of the 20th century.
The collection belongs to art patron Al-Thani, who has spent more than two
decades amassing valuable pieces while championing creativity throughout the
Middle East.
The museum will hold its debut exhibition, titled "Sajjil," atits temporary
home in a 5,500-square meter former school building updated by French architect
Jean-Francois Bodin.
"Sajjil," which features paintings and sculptures by more than 100 key
modernists, is aimed at bringing contemporary Arabic art to a wider audience.
"Our first exhibition, 'Sajjil' is about the interaction and about the
contribution of Arab artists to a larger art historical context," Al-Khudhairi
said.
"By making it public, we are able to open it up to everyone in Qatar, in the
region, internationally."
Crucially, adds Al-Khudhairi, it will also draw attention to a contemporary art
scene that developed in parallel with European movements but has been largely
overlooked.
"(The exhibition will) give exposure to these artists to fit into history a
period of time that's missing from art historical books and accounts," she said.
Saleh Barakat, a Beirut-based leading expert in contemporary Arab art,
described the museum's opening as "an exceedingly important moment in the
history of modern and contemporary art."
Barakat says the museum's commitment to academic study and research will be
particularly significant.
Arts patronage in Qatar, and the wider region is reaching new heights, amid a
recession-busting art boom, as governments vie for the title of the region's
cultural capital.
Read more about the Middle East art explosion
Two years ago, Doha opened the doors of its Museum of Islamic Art, an iconic
structure that celebrated architect I.M. Pei. was coaxed out of retirement at
the age of 91 to design.
In Abu Dhabi, a vast Frank Gehry-designed outpost of New York's Guggenheim art
museum is under construction alongside a branch of France's Louvre museum.
Art expert Barakat said that Mathaf's commitment to pushing boundaries would
help define Qatar's identity as a liberal-minded Arab country, although he said
some artworks would remain contentious.
"In Qatar, they are, at least, conveying these messages that they want to be an
open society, but I guess that's within limits because these societies have
their own culture and their own view of the world," said Barakat.
He added: "Obviously one has to keep in mind we are in Doha and not in New
York, and in that instance there are acceptable norms of how any society views
nudity or other kinds of provocative issues."
Barry Neild and CNN's Rima Maktabi contributed to this report.
Links referenced within this article
Read more about the Middle East art explosion
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/11/05/middle.east.art/index.html
Find this article at:
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/12/09/qatar.mathaf.art/index.html?hpt=C1
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© 2008 Cable News Network.
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