Q Life Magazine Q Magazine June 2019 | Page 27

Qatar in Colour | forehead, which is said to protect the skin from ultraviolet light. The Batoula sculpture was created while I was revisiting memories of my childhood, the simpler life and the beautiful faces I have seen covered by a mask that holds behind it many stories – especially love stories. Recently, you also created the installation titled “The Mother”. What does it mean? | Boutnag by Fatma Al Shebani “The Mother” is a conceptual artwork inspired by our homeland. The artwork is influenced by the look and feel of the tree, where obstacles may hinder its growth and prosperity, but despite its small size, it stands tall and shades those underneath. When you inherit the seed of glory, you inherit too the storms, earthquakes and volcanoes that come along with them, but the storms leave behind fertile land that promises a better future. What does your Batoula art piece mean to you? In Arabic history, the Islamic mask for married women, the Batoula, is considered an important part of any woman’s dress. It was a signal differentiating young girls and older women. Growing up, I adored older ladies and it was always a pleasure to take a peek under their Batoula to see their faces filled with love and motherhood. I remembered the purple pigment the Batoula leaves behind on the Audiences can interact with “The Mother” by writing letters to our homeland and hanging them on the barbed wire entwined around the tree to make it grow and bloom ever larger. I proposed this concept in memory of the first year of the blockade imposed on the State of Qatar on 5 June 2017. How do you see the art scene in Qatar developing over the coming years? Qatar’s art scene is diverse and growing. In Qatar, contemporary art is the genre of choice. We are opening museums, such as the National Museum of Qatar, which is bound to become another icon of Qatar’s glory. We have the Museum of Islamic Art, Mathaf Arab Museum of Modern Art, Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Msheireb Museums, Katara Cultural Village, and many galleries. I am glad to say, the art scene in Qatar is thriving. | Close-up of The Mother by Fatma Al Shebani 27