Qatari artist Ahmed Nooh opened yesterday his first solo exhibition titled Traces of Life at Qatar Museums’ (QM) Fire Station in Doha.
The works were completed as part of his Fire Station Paris Residency rotation at the renowned Cite internationale des Arts in Paris.
Held under the patronage of QM Chairperson HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, the Paris Residency is an extension of QM Fire Station: Artist in Residence programme in Doha and takes one talented Qatari artist to Paris for a three-month stint.
Nooh opened his exhibition with a public talk, which gave attendees an opportunity to interact with the artist about his inspirations and artistic process. The accompanying exhibition, which is open to the public until February 12, showcases works in which Nooh experiments with abstracting different materials.
The start of the process for creating the pieces involved burning books as a commentary on the vanishing practice of reading physical books in today’s society. Burning books has historically been a way to condemn social, political and cultural oppositions. Yet, through transfiguring the burnt material, the artist recognises the value of these books, in hopes of shedding light on reading as a positive aspect of human development.
“We first exhibited Nooh’s work as part of the Fire Station Artist in Residence exhibition last summer and received some fantastic feedback. His pieces struck a chord with the public and we were eager to see where he can take his vision given the chance to work alongside other creatives from around the world in Paris,” Fire Station director Khalifa al-Obaidly said. “The final product is a unique perspective and social commentary which is sure to spark interesting conversation among visitors to the exhibition,” he added.
Nooh has been a member of the Visual Arts Centre in Katara for four years. He is also a member of the Souq Waqif Centre for Fine Arts, as well as the Qatar Fine Arts Association at Katara.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
