Touring exhibition: Imagine Brazil – Doha

A showcase of works by artists from Qatar and Brazil, HERE THERE is a commentary on the transformation of culture and society within the two countries. The exhibition explores the context of where we come from and what we are maintaining as part of this organic change through new and existing works created by contemporary Qatari and Brazilian artists who are either established or emerging and first time exhibitors.

HERE THERE is organized by the Qatar Museums Public Art department, in collaboration with Astrup Fearnley Museet in Oslo, Norway and Musée d’Art Contemporain in Lyon, France. The content in the show ranges from traditional mediums to digital art, installations, interactive works, and contemporary design works. Along with the artworks, a section within the Brazilian part of the exhibition is dedicated to artists’ books, a common international contemporary art practice that has a long history within Brazilian culture.

The title HERE THERE is influenced by the transformation of two cultures and what connects them. This theme is represented by the transformation of meaning from ‘here’ to ‘there’ through the addition of a character (in both English and Arabic language). For example, detaching the last letter from the word ‘هناك (Hunak)’ in Arabic and the first letter from the word ‘There’ in English will leave us with ‘هنا (Huna)’, or ‘Here’, respectively.

The exhibition falls under the Qatar-Brazil Year of Culture 2014, as part of Qatar Museums’ annual initiative in establishing cultural ties between Qatar and countries around the world.

The lobby area of QM Gallery ALRIWAQ displays two murals on either side, by Brazilian artist Speto on the right of entrance, and Qatari artist Mohammed Al-Nesef on the left. Inside the galleries, ALRIWAQ is split into two parts, with each dedicated to each of the two countries, Qatar (Here) and Brazil (There). The selected artists present a new artistic language through research and experimentation with materials, demonstrating a strong awareness and social engagement within their cultures.