Qatar Museums unveiled a series of public art installations at the newly-opened Crescent Park in Lusail City as part of the Public Art Annual Student Competition exhibition in collaboration with Qatari Diar.
The competition was aimed at students who are either currently enrolled in a university or an alumni who graduated within the last two years. As part of the competition, participating students were able to experience the making of a public artwork – from fine-tuning their concepts, working closely with local fabricators to installation.
Artworks from students enrolled at Qatar University, Virginia Commonwealth University and Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar will be on display at the Crescent Park in Lusail City as part of Qatari Diar’s annual Student Competition exhibition.
The public artworks created by Ahmed Mahrous, Hanof Ahmed, Hend Jamal, Majdulin Nasrallah, Reema Abu Hassan, Shaden Al Riyabi, and Shatha Al Riyabi, which explored concepts from Qatari culture and wildlife to messages dedicated to local efforts that tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, has been installed at the Crescent Park in Lusail. Out of the seven public artworks, three winning installations will be selected by a panel from Qatar Museums.
Nurturing the public art scene
Qatar Museums Director of Public Art Abdulrahman Al Ishaq said they are honoured to have partnered with Qatari Diar to expand their aim of nurturing a thriving public art scene through artworks that reflect the artistic expression of the wider community. He said that their generous allocation of Crescent Park means everyone can visit and experience this year’s public art from participating students.
Also in partnership with Qatari Diar, Qatar Museums will instal a number of public artworks throughout Lusail city in the next two years. As part of their ongoing public art initiative, two new artwork installations by renowned international artists will be added to the Msheireb Downtown Doha collection.
Qatari Diar Director of Development Hamad Ali Abdulmalik said they are pleased to cooperate with Qatar Museums to showcase artworks of local students. He said that artworks in public places create a link between people and the surrounding architectural environment.
The Crescent Park was chosen to display these works because of its distinguished location and ease of access, which provides an opportunity for everyone to visit the park and enjoy the artworks on display.
Crescent Park is one of the most striking attractions of the residential Fox Hills district in Lusail. Stretching over 275,000 sqm, the park is visible to onlookers with a unique arch marking the entrance to the park. The park is becoming a popular destination for visitors who are attracted by its green open spaces, themed playgrounds and bicycle and pedestrian tracks.
A range of sports facilities is also available at Crescent Park covering a variety of activities that include a nice sunken football pitch, three basketball courts, two volleyball courts and three tennis courts. A purpose-built play area has also been constructed for children with slides, climbing structures and exciting architecture.
New installations at Msheireb Downtown Doha
The new public artworks include an installation by Subodh Gupta at M7 in Msheireb Downtown Doha. Gupta presents two 2.5 metre spoons stacked upon one another as one often finds in any cutlery tray. The perfect fit of one spoon into another is a simple, even elementary, metaphor, yet placed before the viewer’s eyes his work elevates this domestic visual into the ultimate representation of balance and harmony.
Next to the Mandarin Oriental hotel, Qatar Museums also installed the sculpture ‘Turquoise City’ by Mark Handforth, inspired by the artist’s visit to Msheireb. The sculpture is a monumental tower of truncated turquoise tubes, irregularly chopped and jauntily stacked, yet flowing in an inevitable spiral, forming a quasi-organic assemblage of urban, industrial matter. The form of Turquoise City suggests something of a fern, a spiral, a fractal, the inevitable curling motion of winding and unwinding, much like the unfolded beginnings of life.
Please note that everyone is advised to abide by the latest health and safety protocols issued by the Ministry of Public Health to stop the spread of COVID-19.
For more information about the public art initiatives of Qatar Museums, visit qm.org.qa.
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