Thursday, 1 December 2016

Qatar Museums releases new collection of publications at Doha International Book Fair

Qatar Museums (QM) has launched 10 new publications at the 27th Doha International Book Fair. The book releases are part of the organisation’s commitment to educate the community on arts, heritage and creativity and develop an engaged cultural audience, the Qatar News Agency has reported.

The new books include: 

The Qatari Kitchen, by cooking and etiquette expert Aisha Mohamed Al Tamimi. an illustrated book showing historical culinary artefacts from private collections. The book provides a glimpse into the past and also shows how these utensils can still be used today.

Two additions to the The Adventures of Faisal series by Dr Fatima Hassan Al Sulaiti were also introduced. Written and illustrated as a comic, this series is designed to inspire young readers about the importance of Qatar’s history and historical sites. One adventure will chart Faisal’s journey into Souq Waqif and the other will be set in Katara.

Spring Prince, by Turkish children’s author Melike Gunyuz, is an illustrated book for children that aims to inspire readers to follow their dreams.

Shamma Al Kuwari 's The Eye Loves What It Sees brings to life the treasures showcased at the Museum of Islamic Art.

In collaboration with Ludion Press, QM presents Al Rasm Ala Aljaleed, an Arabic edition of the Belgian children’s book Painting on Ice, itself inspired by the work of Belgian artist Luc Tuymans.

Ismail Azzam, a book put together by Bahaa Abudaya, Ala Bashir, Faraj Daham and Hadi Yasem, showcases the work of Iraqi artist Ismail Azzam in a series of photorealistic portraits of 15 artists from the Middle East and North Africa, created using the reverse charcoal technique.

Following the success of the What About the Art? Contemporary Art from China exhibition of 15 contemporary Chinese artists curated by New-York based Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang, QM presents a book that features in-depth interviews with the artists, plus essays by Cai and scholars Jerome Silbergeld, Terry Smith and Wang Hui. The book which has the same title as the exhibition, presents a fascinating insight into contemporary art in China today.

Obaidi: In Conversation with Hans Ulrich Obrist features work from Fragments, an exhibition on artist Mahmoud Obaidi. In this exhibition, the artist retraces the 'organised chaos' that led to the destruction of Iraq, and presents a response to witnessing the city of Baghdad fall piece by piece. The book also includes a look into the artist’s practice and an extended interview with curator Hans Ulrich Obrist.

Noof Ibrahim Al Abdulla, Director of Publications at Qatar Museums, said: "This is the largest selection of publications that we have released to date at the Fair, which invite visitors to explore art, culture and heritage. Through these fantastic publications, readers will be able to explore our incredible permanent collections, discover our current and previous exhibitions, and engage with our nation’s culture and heritage. "

Interested?

Fragments is open till 30 Janaury 2017 at Qatar Museum Gallery Katara, building 10.