Q Life Magazine Q Magazine December 2016 | Page 22

| Issue 1
Profile
Her Excellency
Sheikha Al Mayassa Al Thani
H.E. Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani has played a
pioneering role in the fields of culture, education, and outreach, spearheading
and supporting a number of local and international organisations.
A
s Chairperson of Qatar Museums (QM), she guides the vision for
future museums and cultural projects, with the aim of transforming
Qatar into a leading cultural and education centre in the region and around
the world. In this role, H.E. Sheikha Al Mayassa oversaw a constellation of
museums, developed international projects, and made significant purchases
for the Qatari national collections.
As she notes, “Most contemporary art is provocative.” Bold public
commissions— including Richard Serra’s lofty abstract sculpture 7 and
Damien Hirst’s The Miraculous Journey, a monumental 14-part bronze
sequence depicting a developing foetus—show her dedication to bringing
pieces that stimulate debate and artistic engagement to Qatar.
Bridging East and West
The Museum of Islamic Art, the flagship project of QM, embodies Qatar’s
vision of bridging East and West, as well as past and present. “Art and
culture is a religion we can all practice,” she says. “People have said, ‘Let’s
build bridges,’ and frankly, I want to do more than that. I would like to break
the walls of ignorance between East and West. Art is very powerful because
it has no boundaries and you don’t need to belong to any country or religion
or social class. It brings people from all walks of life together to talk about
an idea.”
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