Al Markhiya Gallery will open tomorrow an art exhibition entitled “Between Yesterday and Today”, with the participation of three artists: Qatari artists Lulu M. and Mubarak Al Malik, and Omani artist Masoud Rashid Al Balushi, at the gallery’s headquarters in (Katara), and the exhibition will continue until July 22.
The exhibition comes as a celebration of ten years since the first exhibition that brought together the three artists at Al Markhiya Gallery in 2016, where the artists present new works that reflect their artistic paths and what they have witnessed in terms of development and creative transformations during a decade of practice and experimentation, in a visual experience that deals with the relationship between memory and transformation, and between the past and the present.
In this context, Mr. Anas Qutait, the art coordinator at Al Markhiya Gallery, confirmed in exclusive statements to Al Sharq that the exhibition comes within the framework of the gallery’s cultural season, to enrich the art scene in the State of Qatar, after the gallery had been accustomed, six years ago, to holding its cultural season throughout the year without interruption, including the summer period.
Regarding the idea of the exhibition, he said that it comes as an extension of the first edition that the gallery held 10 years ago in (Katara), for the same three artists, so that the current edition comes to highlight the most prominent differences in the artistic styles of the works of the three artists, in addition to the comparison between their current works, and the others that were completed about a decade ago.
Regarding the commonality that brought together the artists participating in the exhibition, Qattit confirmed that there is a commonality between the works of the three artists, which is the loud or warm colors that bring together the three artists, and which they used in their works, noting that despite the commonalities that bring together the artists, especially in the use of warm colors, each artist has his own style, which distinguishes his works, and gives them artistic independence.
Artistic diversity
He said that the artists combined four artistic schools, namely abstraction, cubism, expressionism and impressionism, which reflects the extent of the diversity that the artists are keen on.
He added that this diversity was also ensured by Al Markhiya Gallery in organizing such an exhibition, so that people with artistic taste would find themselves faced with a diversity of artistic schools, which in turn leads to attracting the public to these exhibitions, which is reflected positively on the Qatari art scene.
Qutait added that the exhibition highlights the evolution of the participating artists' styles, allowing visitors to closely observe the development in their work and compare it to pieces they created 10 years ago, which were exhibited at Katara. He noted that the works in the exhibition reflect artist Lulu M's inclination towards Cubism and Abstraction, while artist Masoud Al-Balushi's works lean towards Expressionism and Impressionism, and artist Mubarak Al-Malik's works focus on Expressionism and Abstraction. The exhibition revisits the artists' first encounter, not as a mere recollection of the past or an archival documentation, but rather as an opportunity to reflect on the distances traveled by their artistic journeys.
The works in the exhibition reveal the uniqueness of each artist; Mubarak Al Malik’s works show a deep focus on form, visual presence, and cultural connections, while Lulu M. presents an experience based on emotional accumulations and formations stemming from contemplation and personal experimentation, while Masoud Al Balushi presents a visual dialogue that explores the concepts of movement, belonging, and contemporary transformations.
