l The importance of museums in shaping Qatar’s national identity

The importance of museums in shaping Qatar’s national identity

CAITLÍN DOHERTY

1.This article is based on a talk presented at the Irish Museums Association Annual Conference, Museums &Memory: Challenging Histories on 22nd February 2014, Waterford 2. Formally Qatar Museums Authority (QMA).

Introduction1

until recently Qatar was relatively unknown outside of the Middle East, but due to its exponential growth this small, oil-rich nation has now established itself on the international stage. The state-led development of the museums and galleries sector is reflective of this, and particularly interesting since it is playing a role not only in preserving Qatar’s past, but also in forging its current and future identities.

This article highlights major developments in Qatar’s museums and galleries sector, including the opening of the Museum of Islamic Art, and the soon-to-be-completed National Museum of Qatar. These institutions, together with a raft of other museums, galleries and heritage sites due to open over the coming years, act as storehouses for Qatar’s past, and tell the story of a Bedouin tradition and a pearl diving industry which has almost completely disappeared today. Qatar also embraces its future, however, and it is therefore perhaps not surprising that contemporary art is playing such a significant role in the nation’s development. Mathaf, the Museum of Modern Arab Art, opened in 2010 and elsewhere exhibitions have taken place by high profile international artists including Murakami, Damien Hirst and Richard Serra, alongside an impressive – if somewhat controversial – public art programme.

Qatar museums

Qatar Museums (QM)2 is the umbrella organization governing the development of museums and galleries in the country. Established in 2005 by Sheikh Hamad bin khalifa Al Thani, former Emir of the State of Qatar, QM aims to centralise resources and provide a comprehensive framework for museum development, management and organization. Moreover, it seeks to engage and connect diverse audiences, both nationally and internationally, with an ambitious programme that it is

3. TEDWomen. December 2010. ‘Globalizing the local, localizing the global’ www.ted.com/talks/sheikha_al _mayassa_globalizing_the_loc al_localizing_the_global accessed 20 September 2014 4. Jodido, P. (2013) Museum of Islamic Art: Doha, Qatar, Prestel, Munich, 24 hoped will position Qatar as a world-class cultural destination and a global leader in the museum, art and heritage sectors. Fundamental to this, and perhaps most challenging, is the desire to promote modernization, development and an increasingly globalized vision, while at the same time preserving local cultural traditions and maintaining a uniquely Arab-Islamic identity. This was summed up in 2010 by H. E. Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin khalifa Al Thani, sister of the current Emir and Chairperson of QM, when she stated, “We are revising ourselves through our cultural institutions and cultural developments. Art becomes a very important part of our National Identity”.3

One of the ways that QM is achieving these goals is through major, almost unprecedented investment in the sector. Several museums are planned to be opened over the next ten years, many based around collections of art and antiquities currently held in private ownership. Some of these have been conceived as great storehouses for Qatar’s cultural heritage, and it is noteworthy that they are to be housed in spectacular buildings by some of the world’s most eminent contemporary architects. Museums, galleries and heritage sites currently being developed include the Qatar Olympic Sports Museum, a national institution focusing on sports history and sports heritage, and the Orientalist Museum that will be based on one of the most significant collections of Orientalist art in the world. In addition, Al zubarah archeological site in northern Qatar has recently been designated as Qatar’s first uNESCO heritage site.

QM’s flagship project, however, is the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA), designed by I M Pei, which opened in 2008 and occupies a prominent position rising from the water at the end of Doha’s Corniche. The building itself has been inspired by Islamic architecture and includes two floors of permanent gallery spaces, one main temporary gallery, two outdoor courtyards that overlook the city, an education centre, library, gift shop and a breathtaking atrium area with a café affording spectacular views of the Persian Gulf. While it may be suggested that the building itself is the masterpiece of this museum collection, it also houses an outstanding body of manuscripts, ceramics, metal, ivory, glass, textiles and precious stones which represent the vitality and richness of the Islamic world from the 7th – 19th centuries. Thus in many ways the architect has “sought and found the real cultural links that inevitably should bring past, present and future together”.4

5. Education City in an initiative of Qatar Foundation that brings together educational facilities, including branch campuses of eight international universities

The National Museum of Qatar

The National Museum of Qatar further exemplifies the country’s commitment to this vision. Currently under construction and due to open in 2015, it has been designed by Pritzker-Prize winning architect jean Nouvel. When complete it will cover 430,000 sq. ft., made up of a series of interlocking discs whose design was inspired by the desert rose, a sand formation that grows organically around the original 20th century palace of Sheikh Adbullah Bin jassim Al Thani on the site. Indeed, this palace has been preserved at the very heart of the new building, creating a physical as well as a conceptual connection between the past and the present. This vision will be further strengthened by the proposed museum exhibitions which will explore the natural history of the desert, the Persian Gulf and Bedouin culture, the history of the tribal wars and the establishment of the Qatari State, the discovery of oil, and present-day social developments.

until its completion, the National Museum has presented temporary exhibitions at QM’s gallery at katara Cultural Village Foundation, an initiative that brings together numerous different arts and leisure experiences including museums, galleries, theatres, artists’ studios and restaurants. In fact, the QM gallery acts as a very important link to the local community, since katara is one of the few venues in Doha where expatriate and Qatari communities spend leisure time together. It is interesting to note, therefore, that the space has been used to articulate future museum development in Qatar, as well as some of the major themes and ideas that these museums will explore. In this way a specific sense of national identity, based on a defined narrative, is made relevant today; moreover, the inclusion of contemporary exhibitions by both Qatari and local artists has added a significant voice to that discussion.

Discussions around national identity

Other venues focusing on modern and contemporary art are also participating in the discussion around national identity. Mathaf, the Arab Museum of Modern Art, opened to the public in 2010 and hosts exhibitions, programmes and events that celebrate modern and contemporary art from Qatar, the region, and the world. Located in a converted schoolhouse in Education City,5 Mathaf also acts as a platform for dialogue and scholarship on issues relating to contemporary art. Founded by H. E. Sheikh Hassan bin Mohamed bin Ali Al Thani, the museum’s permanent collection comprises his private

6. Anon. (2013) ‘Mona Hatoum: Turbulence’, Mathaf www.mathaf.org.qa/en/exhibition s-list/170-mona-hatoumturbulence accessed 10 February 2014 7. Figures based on samples of visitors 2012 – 2014 supplied to the author by Rima Ghanem, Visitor Services Specialist, Mathaf. ‘treasure-house’ collection of works by artists from every Arab country. Alongside this, important temporary exhibitions have also showcased artists including Cai Guo-Qiang, Adel Abdessemed and, most recently, Mona Hatoum with her largest show to date in the Arab World.

‘Turbulence’, curated by Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath, brought together more than 70 of Hatoum’s works from over the past 30 years and explored themes that seemed particularly appropriate to the place –“turbulence echoes the artist’s questioning of self vis-à-vis one’s grappling with issues of alienation and displacement…of belonging and collective memory”.6 A consideration of identity is in fact at the core of Mathaf’s mission in Qatar, although it is worth noting that despite its conception as a museum of Arab Art for the Arab people, one of its biggest challenges has been to engage the Qatari population – only about 13% of Mathaf’s visitors are in fact Qatari.7

Current challenges

Similar challenges are confronted directly by QM at their ALRIWAQ temporary exhibition space that has hosted a number of very high profile contemporary art exhibitions including Murakhami’s ‘Ego’ in 2012. This exhibition coincided with the Qatar japan year of Culture, but was misunderstood by many Qatari visitors who interpreted its bright colours, manga style images and huge inflatables as being only for children. This has led to criticism that this type of high profile ‘blockbuster’ exhibition by an international contemporary artist is in fact somewhat divorced from its host society – how can Murakhami’s work be understood when it has little or no relevance to the place in which it is being exhibited?

Criticism was also levelled at the ‘Relics’ exhibition by Damien Hirst that took place at the ALRIWAQ gallery the following year. This major retrospective of Hirst’s work, the largest ever assembled, was visited by over 62,000 people, the most visited exhibition in the gallery’s history.8 In a bid to address concerns, QM made a concerted effort to reach out to the community through a comprehensive programme that included school tours, family days, art competitions, a university debate and an interactive social media strategy.

The most recent of these high profile exhibitions was by Richard Serra, featuring installations in both ALRIWAQ and katara, as well as a newly commissioned work, East-West/West-East (2014). This

8. Anon. 4 Feb 2014. Damien Hirst Website www.damienhirst.com/news/20 14/relics-visitor-figures accessed 12 October 2014 9. Khatri, Shabina, S. 13 October 2013. ‘Art depicting chickens on fire at Mathaf ruffles feathers in Qatar’, Doha News http://dohanews.co/artdepicting-chickens-on-fire-at-ma thaf-ruffles-feathers-in-qatar/ accessed 20 September 2014 permanent piece of public art is installed in the desert – physically ‘planted’ into the Qatari landscape – in a remote area about an hour’s drive from Doha city. With no signage, and off road driving a necessity to get there, this is an uncompromising, brave move by QM – instead of bringing art to the people, the people must go to the art. The stillness of the place seems entirely fitting for its new inhabitants, and there is certainly something refreshing about a public art programme that has not been ring-fenced by council bureaucracy, ‘percent for art’ restrictions, or committee approvals.

These sculptures complement another work by Serra, 7, which was commissioned and unveiled by QM in 2011. Measuring 80 feet, it is the tallest outdoor sculpture ever conceived by the artist, and his first to be displayed in the Middle East. The work is constructed from seven steel plates, arranged in a hexagonal form, and celebrating the significance of the number seven in Islamic culture. Thus cultural and religious tradition is understood and visualized through the contemporary.

Reaction to exhibition pieces and public art works

Despite governmental backing, however, some exhibition pieces and public art works have proved controversial and have led to discussions, very often on social media networks or in the local news. Abdmessemed’s solo exhibition at Mathaf, for example, led to complaints due to the inclusion of Printemps (2013),9 a film which depicts a number of chickens hung on a wall and on fire. Despite the artist describing the work as a homage to the suffering of those involved in the Arab Spring revolutions, many Qatari (and non-Qatari) residents found the film distasteful and offensive, with accusations of animal cruelty, and even suggestions that it was contrary to Islamic values. Another of Abdmessemed’s works, Coup de Tête, which was purchased by Qatar Museums Authority in 2012, further outraged many conservative Qataris, and was eventually removed from its public outdoor site on Doha’s Corniche. The five metre high bronze sculpture, which depicts the moment when French footballer zinedine zidane head-butted Italian Marco Materazzi during the 2006 World Cup final, prompted public outcry when it was unveiled, with some conservative Muslims describing the work as anti-Islamic since they believed it encouraged idolatry and promoted violence. One commentator used social media to offer, “Congratulations on having new idols”, while

another wrote, “It is sad that our youth see in this art and modernity. Our children do not differentiate between the right and the wrong, or the haram (prohibited) and the halal (permissible)”.10 Islamic jurisprudence prohibits statues in a human or animal likeness, and while some Muslim countries do display statues in public, conservative Gulf nations generally do not.11

Sheikha Al Mayassa, however, remains committed to her belief that contemporary art is a vital component of Doha’s landscape, and despite public reaction she is clear that “it’s important to have an ongoing conversation”.12 This conversation continues most directly around what is undoubtedly the boldest of QM’s public art installations to date, Damien Hirst’s, The Miraculous Journey (2005-2013), which was unveiled last year in front of Qatar Foundation’s Sidra Medical and Research Center, a state of the art facility specializing in woman’s and children’s health that is due to open in 2015. Consisting of 14 monumental bronze sculptures, the work chronicles the development of a baby inside the womb, from the moment of conception right through until the birth of a 46-foot tall anatomically correct baby boy. Reporting on the grand unveiling of the piece, New york Times journalist Carol Vogel noted, “Even for a Persian Gulf country that is aggressively buying its way into modernity, this installation takes official acceptance of Western art to a new level”.13 Shortly after their unveiling, the sculptures were re-covered, however, and have remained so ever since. Despite QM stating that this is because the Sidra site remains an active construction site,14 rumours abound as to whether the controversial nature of the works has prompted a reconsideration of their suitability for such a prominent public site. Indeed, speaking to Doha News following their unveiling, Hirst himself acknowledged the potential cultural difficulties surrounding his work saying, “you know culturally, it’s the first naked sculpture in the Middle East”.15

Fig 1: The unveiling of Damien Hirst’s The Miraculous Journey (2005 – 2013) Image courtesy of the author

10. Posts from Twitter. Anon. 31 October 2013. ‘Qatar removes Zidane statue after outcry’, Al Jazeera http://www.aljazeera.com/news/mi ddleeast/2013/10/qatar-removeszidane-statue-after-outcry-2013103 02338612974.html accessed 3 October 2014 11 Posts from Twitter. Anon. 31 October 2013. ‘Qatar removes Zidane statue after outcry’, Al Jazeera http://www.aljazeera.com/news/mi ddleeast/2013/10/qatar-removeszidane-statue-after-outcry-2013103 02338612974.html accessed 3 October 2014 12. Vogel, C. 7 October 2013. ‘Art, From Conception to Birth in Qatar’, New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/ 08/arts/design/damien-hirstsanatomical-sculptures-have-their-d ebut.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 accessed 20 September 2014 13. Vogel, C. 7 October 2013. ‘Art, From Conception to Birth in Qatar’, New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/ 08/arts/design/damien-hirstsanatomical-sculptures-have-their-d ebut.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 accessed 20 September 2014 14. Update to Scott, V. 7 October 2013. ‘PHOTOS: Damien Hirst’s “Miraculous Journey” unveiled at Sidra’, Doha News http://dohanews.co/photosdamien-hirsts-miraculous-journey/ accessed 20 September 2014 15. Update to Scott, V. 7 October 2013. ‘PHOTOS: Damien Hirst’s “Miraculous Journey” unveiled at Sidra’, Doha News http://dohanews.co/photosdamien-hirsts-miraculous-journey/ accessed 20 September 2014

Conclusion

As we can see from this brief summary, the essence of this controversy is the belief by some that such works are alien to, or even at odds with, their host society. Ironically, however, such controversy and criticism may also provide a useful opportunity for Qatar, since in many ways it can stimulate debate, discussion and the consideration of issues that, within Qatari society, might otherwise be problematic to acknowledge or address. It must be remembered that cultural tradition is valued greatly in this Arab-Islamic society. A particular challenge – and unique opportunity – therefore exists for museums and galleries in Qatar that have been charged with playing a role not only in preserving the nation’s past, but also in reconciling that past with the country’s rapidly changing future.

Caitlín Doherty is Exhibitions and Speaker Curator at Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar.