Dia al-Azzawi exhibition opens in Doha
Qatar Museums (QM) recently opened a major exhibition by internationally acclaimed Iraqi artist Dia al-Azzawi, titled 'I am the cry, who will give voice to me? * Dia al-Azzawi: A Retrospective (from 1963 until tomorrow)'.
Taking place simultaneously at Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art and the QM Gallery Al Riwaq for the first time, the exhibition will cover 9,000 sq. metres and include over 500 works.
It will open on 16th October 2016 at Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art and 17th October 2016 at QM Gallery Al Riwaq, and run until 16th April 2017.
Presented by Qatar Museums under the leadership of its Chairperson, HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, 'I am the cry, who will give voice to me? * Dia al-Azzawi: A Retrospective (from 1963 until tomorrow),' is unprecedented in its scale and content, reflecting the long and distinguished career of Dia al-Azzawi.
Curated by Catherine David, Deputy Director at Centre Pompidou in Paris, the show examines the artist's career, starting as an art student in Iraq in the 1960's.
Works spanning fifty years across a range of media are featured, including painting, sculpture, drawing, print and artist books, incorporating original and limited editions of artworks on view for the very first time.
Spanning two venues across Doha, the retrospective aims to map an itinerary of modernism and profiles the practice of the Iraqi artist. The retrospective is organised into two parts, with each one tracing a trajectory of the artist's practice.
One route charts the emergence of a relationship between image and text in al-Azzawi's work, and its evolution as a solution to an artistic problem of representation. The other route follows the artist's engagement with the key moments in the political history of Iraq and the Arab world, particularly Palestine.
As part of the exhibition, collectors' items inspired by Dia al-Azzawi's collection will be on sale in QM retail outlets across Qatar. These include a selection of silk scarves and a special limited edition collector's piece, which is a replica of 'Handala', a cartoon character of a ten-year-old refugee who became famous across the Arab world as an icon of opposition.
The bronze sculpture was made by Dia al-Azzawi in 2011 in homage to his friend, the Palestinian cartoonist Naji Al-Ali.
Saleh Al Hamad Al Mana Co. is the official sponsor of the Dia al-Azzawi exhibition.
Entry is free.
Opening hours
QM Gallery Al Riwaq
Sunday 10:30 – 17:30
Monday 10:30 – 17:30
Tuesday Closed
Wednesday 10:30 – 17:30
Thursday 12:00 – 20:00
Friday 14:00 – 20:00
Saturday 12:00 – 20:00
Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art
Sunday 11:00 – 18:00
Monday Closed
Tuesday 11:00 – 18:00
Wednesday 11:00 – 18:00
Thursday 11:00 – 18:00
Friday 15:00 – 20:00
Saturday 11:00 – 18:00
For more information, visit www.qm.org.qa
