The story of how the final work of the late, great Indian artist Maqbool Fida Husain found its home in Doha will be told by Qatar Foundation at the international premiere of an award-winning short documentary, which will also mark the 10th anniversary of the artist’s death.
Seeroo fi al ardh – a one-of-a-kind art installation undertaken by Husain as part of a sweeping project that relives the journey of human civilisation from the perspective of the Arab region – was conceived by the famed artist in the twilight of his career. Unfortunately, he did not live to see his tribute to mankind’s spirit of innovation completed.
Following and incorporating every aspect of Husain’s original plan for Seeroo fi al ardh, Qatar Foundation made sure that his vision came to fruition. Commissioned by Qatar Foundation Chair, HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, the installation is now permanently housed at Education City and helping ensure that Husain’s artistic legacy lives on.
This Wednesday, 9 June – a decade on from Husain, who lived in Qatar in his later years, passing away at the age of 95 – the documentary will explore Husain’s life, inspiration and genius, with the premiere to be followed by an online panel discussion exploring the impact that his work had and continues to have, on the world.
The artist’s son, Mustafa Husain, said his father never followed a particular style of painting – and had his own ideas.
He evolved and he got his own style. The passion was to create something different from nothing.
The documentary – which has been showcased and won awards at leading film festivals around the world – also hears from Husain’s daughter-in-law Najma Husain, Qatari artist Yousif Ahmed, and Sujata Varma, curator of the Doha-based Indian art showcase, Fanqaar.
Moderated by poet, art critic, cultural theorist, and curator Ranjith Hoskote, the webinar, titled Painter, polymath, provocateur: Rediscovering MF Husain through his final artwork, will discuss the journey of Seeroo fi al ardh from Husain’s imagination to its Education City reality, the enduring influence of his art, and what this installation says about Qatar’s growing profile as an international hub of arts and culture.
Comprising the flying machines of Abbas Ibn Firnas and Leonardo da Vinci, glass horses, and vintage cars, which move to music that Husain himself selected and are set against the backdrop of a giant mosaic of horses – a tribute to Qatar’s equine heritage as well as the artist’s own love of animals – Seeroo fi al ardh’s main show tells the tale of how first nature, then machines, advanced the ambitions of people throughout the Arab region.
The installation also reflects how, even before the European Renaissance, the Arab world experienced an age of enlightenment, innovation and experimentation.
Seeroo fi al ardh, which has been closed due to COVID-19, will reopen to the public later this year.
Watch the international premiere of the documentary at 5 pm, Doha time this Wednesday, 9 June, and the webinar which will immediately follow. Register through this link.
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