PREFACE
It is our great pleasure to present What About the Art? Contemporary Art from China, an exhibition curated by Cai Guo-Qiang, who has explored the issue of creativity by studying the work of fifteen Chinese-born artists and collectives, as part of the Qatar China 2016 Year of Culture. Cai and the world of contemporary Chinese art are no strangers to Qatar; in 2011, he had his first solo exhibition in the Arab world, which was also the first solo exhibition hosted by Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art. This exhibition is the second project with this internationally acclaimed artist, as Qatar Museums continues to promote global cultural dialogue and provide a wide range of activities and opportunities for visitors to engage more deeply with modern and contemporary art, while offering Arab perspectives on the worldwide art scene. Each artist has taken into consideration Qatar as our location in several ways. Some have produced their works locally and interacted with local people, while others have identified aesthetic themes and incorporated them into their works. We hope that the sum total of their endeavors will be both challenging and rewarding to those who give them close attention and that the visitors to the museum will enjoy the varied and inspiring aesthetic and emotional experiences on offer. This ambitious project would not have been possible without the support and cooperation of its participating artists. We would like to extend our thanks to those who offered valuable support: the China National Arts Fund, Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture, and Artron Art Group. We are deeply indebted to Cai Guo-Qiang, whose dynamic and innovative ideas and inexhaustible energy proved valuable assets in the realization of this exhibition. The staff of Cai Studio as well as a group of experts and professionals he assembled for the accompanying publication and documentary film made this project a truly collaborative effort. Last but not least, together with Cai, I would like to thank all the staff at Qatar Museums for bringing this exhibition to fruition. Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani Chairperson, Qatar Museums Board of Trustees
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