As the Al Asmakh International Symposium of Art came to a close, an exhibition
showcasing creativity and diversity of 50 participating artists went on show

By Anand Holla


A ballroom awash with compelling works of art and a closing ceremony befitting a premium awards ceremony, the third edition of the Al Asmakh International Symposium of Art propelled the event into the top echelons of both, the art arena of Qatar, and the art residency programmes of the region.
On Tuesday night, the Al Qasr Ballroom of Wyndham Grand Regency Doha Hotel bustled with the collective creative energy of 50 artists from various countries, and with the many dignitaries and art lovers of the city. Regency Art, a Qatar-based non-profit art and culture-shaping organisation, together with the hotel, topped off the symposium with the launch of an exhibition featuring the artists’ wide-ranging works.
The week-long residency set in the five-star fully-equipped camp in Sealine hosted 50 artists from all over the world, including a few from Qatar. The reception attended by several ministers, VIP guests and art enthusiasts, saw HE the Minister of Culture, Arts & Heritage Dr Hamad bin Abdul Aziz al-Kuwari, flag off the exhibition by ribbon-cutting, as Hassan Ibrahim al-Asmakh, Vice President of Regency Group, looked on.
All the artists were presented with a certificate and a memento before they gathered together to pose for photographs. Not only were the guests guided through a whistle-stop tour of the paintings where each artist briefly explained his/her works, but there was also a nicely done video tracking the artists through the week at the camp, lending insight into what went into the endless sea of paintings that seemed to have turned the ballroom into an art gallery.
In fact, the way the paintings were displayed, everywhere one turned, one would be faced with an artwork that would stir thoughts and emotions, or open up a conversation or two. Here’s the list of the artists who participated in the symposium.
Abdellah El Haitout (Morocco), Ajitvar Kumar Douglas (India), Ahmed Jaride (Morocco), Ali al-Kuwari (Qatar), Ali Rashid (Netherlands), Amani Fakhet (Tunisia), Amor Ghedamsi (Tunisia), Anne-Michelle Vrillet (France), Antonio Sammartano (Italy), Arakm Ali Hama Hama (Iraq), Balqees Fakhro (Bahrain), Dorothea Fleiss (Germany), Elena Shumakher (Russia), Emad Hatem Mohammad (Iraq), Eslam Kamil (Sudan), Fakhir Mohammed Hassan Hassan (Iraq), Gala Caki (Serbia), Gualtiero Redivo (Italy), Katalin Verebics (Hungary), Kokichi Umezaki (Japan), Marc Stephen Rayner (Australia), Masoud Rashid Albulushi (Qatar), Mazher Hasan Ali Nizar (Yemen), Mohamed Rashed Naser Abdulla Almazrouei (UAE), Mohammed Baker (Malaysia), Mohammed Fauzi Bin Sedon (Malaysia), Mohammed Saleh Alghamdi (Saudi Arabia), Mouna Nahleh (Lebanon), Muna Khalid Bujassoum (Qatar), Najat Meky (UAE), Narmin Mustafa Awez Hawrami (Iraq), Nato Lashauri (Georgia), Nouf Ibrahim al-Ibrahim (Saudi Arabia), Orhan Cebrailoglu (Turkey), Pandora Apostoloska Sazdovska (Macedonia), Rabiaa Echchahed (Morocco), Rachid Bakhouz (Morocco), Rim Ayari (France), Sonia Sabherwal (India), Susan Mary Paszkiewicztoler (USA), Tina Eskilsson (Sweden), Yusuf (India), Zaki al-Maboren (Germany), Zoltan Jeno Klara (Hungary), and Zuhair Nooh Isa Ali Alsaeed (Bahrain).
Italian artist Antonion Sammartano described his captivating acrylic on canvas paintings as an attempt at conveying “the impact of energy and movement,” for which he even used sand at the beach, while Swedish artist Tina Eskilsson spoke about how her fixation with water as a theme seeps into her works.
Two of the youngest artists at the symposium were Serbia’s Gala Caki and Georgia’s Nato Lashauri. Caki, who is doing PhD in Art, said, “I have been travelling a lot ever since I started painting around eight years ago. The idea is to draw inspiration from various sources and expose your work to the world, as that helps you to become richer as an individual.” For Lashauri, this will remain to be an unforgettable trip. “This is my first art residency and it has been such an amazing experience.”
Apart from discussing art amongst each other and partaking in a series of lectures, the artists also embarked on cultural visits around Qatar, including a trip to the Museum of Islamic Art “to understand the history, culture, and beauty Qatar has to offer,” and enjoyed relishing Arabic cuisine and the breezy weather at Mesaieed, where they spent most of their time.