BY RAYNALD C RIVERA
DOHA: In holding a contemporary art auction in Doha, Sotheby’s hopes to shatter boundaries on how works are viewed, says an art specialist.
This is the second time the world renowned auction house has chosen Doha to conduct a sale of contemporary art.
The auction will see 53 diverse pieces, 38 of which are by Middle Eastern and 15 by international artists.
“We no longer want art to be seen within geographical boundaries and what Sotheby’s has done in Doha. Because the selection is so small, we are allowed to break the geographical boundaries by ensuring that art is shown because of its quality and how it works visually rather than where it belongs geographically speaking,” Lina Lazaar, Sotheby’s Director, International Contemporary Art Specialist, told a press preview at Katara Art Centre yesterday.
Katara Art Centre’s wall is adorned with a mélange of artworks displaying diverse themes and narratives by artists from various countries and backgrounds.
Works by artists from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and Palestine are exhibited and will be sold tonight alongside works by internationally acclaimed artists from the US and UK.
“Countries, borders no longer matter. And our main idea is to show the world that you can have a work worth $1m exhibited next to a work that is $10,000. “It doesn’t matter how much things are worth, it doesn’t matter where they are from, what matters is that they stand on their own two feet and are able to create interesting dialogue between and among each other,” said Lazaar.
She cited Damien Hirst’s ‘Tranquility’ as an example how art can serve the purpose of creating dialogue among people of different cultures.
Hirst’s butterfly painting has travelled around the world, including Saudi Arabia, Dubai and London prior to the Doha exhibition and auction.
“It was the first Hirst work ever to be shown in Saudi Arabia. We took it to the Jeddah Art Week in January and people were going crazy for it.
“It was the talk of the town. People were running to it, touching, jumping. Probably it was the most photographed work in Jeddah. We had maybe 10,000 people come to the doors. It was the key piece and people were mesmerized by it.
“Our strategy here is to create a wider dialogue across the globe on Middle Eastern and contemporary art. We bring art to the people. Saudi Arabia is a country where art cannot come in and out easily. It’s so difficult to bring in any property because of the laws. We make art a lot more democratic that way. Art is for all.” The Peninsula
