Amal Al Aathem with some of her paintings.
BY RAYNALD C RIVERA
DOHA: Despite advances they have made in various fields, women in this region and around the world still suffer discrimination, said Qatari artist Amal Al Aathem who opened a solo exhibition yesterday in Katara.
In her over 20 artworks displayed at the exhibition entitled ‘A Bridge to the Moon’, Amal explores the old philosophies that link the moon and woman, the moon being the centre of the universe and the woman as the centre of the society.
“Why did I choose the subject of moon and woman? Because I don’t find a space for women here on Earth, the idea of the power of women is not accepted here, not only for Arabic women but women in general,” said Amal during a media preview yesterday.
God gave man and woman different talents and woman deserves to be treated as a human being, she added dispelling the man and woman dichotomy.
She stressed the difficulties women have to suffer outside their homes and at work in her struggle to build her identity and rightful position in the society as she performs various roles as mother, daughter, sister and worker.
For nearly a decade, the prolific Qatari artist considered one of the strongest voices in the country’s art scene has reflected in her works a strong desire to elevate the status of women in the society with her series of exhibitions both here and overseas.
From 2004 till 2102, Amal held four exhibitions on the subject ‘woman’s journey’ and for this year, she starts her ‘woman and moon’ series with this expo to be followed by two more including ‘Moon Dialogue’ and another expo to feature a number of installations.
“I have always been inspired by the artistic resistance of women, trying to create an artistic identity,” she said.
For this exhibition, she combines materials and colours that reflect the delicate relationship between the woman and the moon. Transparent fabric and silk and thread are common media used while black, white, red and deep blue are dominant colours which create the intended effect to drive the message.
The expo, which runs until April 27 in Building 19, will travel to other countries. Amal currently has exhibitions in Sharjah and Los Angeles, California.
A photography exhibition featuring Magnum photographer Martim Parr opens tonight at Katara Building 19 as part of Qatar UK 2013 in addition to other exhibitions including ‘Alighiero Boetti’ (Bldg 13) and ‘Designed to Win’ (Bldg 3).
The Peninsula
