A new design biennial launching in Doha, Qatar, this week provides an important platform for designers from across the region—bringing practitioners to the fore from countries such as Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt and most pertinently, Palestine.
The central strand of the biennial, which is organised by the cultural body Qatar Museums, is the exhibition Arab Design Now (until 5 August) at M7 in Msheireb, the creative district of Doha.
According to a press statement, the show examines how “local and regional designers balance contemporary design with traditional methods... with a particular focus on environmental and sustainable design” through the works of 74 designers. Crucially 38 pieces were commissioned for the event.
Rana Beiruti, the exhibition curator who co-founded Amman Design Week, tells The Art Newspaper: “There are many global biennials but rather than just saying what’s happening in the region, it is the individuals in the region speaking to each other. It is a moment of connection, bringing them together under one roof.”
And who is the biennial for? “For me as a curator, I’m much more interested in attendance [from] the Arab region and the general public… even we fall into that very unfortunate practice of flattening this region into one thing. We are diverse and should be celebrating that diversity.” She adds also that not everyone in the show is Arab but they chose to make the Arab world their home.
An anonymous design curator said that launching the biennial is a “clever move as it brings international art and design professionals to Qatar, piquing their interest in other cultural initiatives such as the numerous museums [including the forthcoming Lusail Museum] already open or under construction”.
Dima Srouji's Transparent Histories (2023)
© Edmund Sumner, Courtesy Qatar Museums
Dima Srouji, a London-based Palestinian artist, is presenting a freestanding wall partition entitled Transparent Histories (2023), which “imagines the future archaeology of Jerusalem as a Palestinian city”, she says.
The piece is the second iteration of a work she made last year for the Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah, Srouji adds. “It is about imagining a future archaeology of the city of Jerusalem as a Palestinian capital hundreds of years in the future. It is about being underground looking up at the surface of the earth and imagining new monuments and seeing existing monuments. You have recognisable plans, such as the plan of the Holy Sepulchre, and I also imagine future monuments.”
The layout echoes the style and technique of the Italian architect Piranesi, echoing his 18th-century Campo Marzio map of Rome. “He felt something was lost in the spirt of the city, which I think is similar to the way Jerusalem is losing its spirit,” Srouji adds.
Asked why Design Doha matters, she adds: “It is one of the only places left in the world where we can do the work without being censored.” Srouji teaches at the Royal College of Art in London, leading the “MA City Design studio focused on archaeological sites in Palestine as sites of urban struggle”, the college website says.
The Jordan-based Naqsh Collective (Nisreen Abudail and Nermeen Abudail) also highlight Palestinian creative traditions through their Green Bridal Chest (2023), which is embroidered with traditional Palestinian patterns based on flora and fauna.
“The selected patterns have been compiled through a process of diligent research and documentation of Palestinian heritage,” says an accompanying wall text which adds that the collective is “reacting to the threat of erasure of this craft”. The Palestine flag is visible around Qatar which has acted as a mediator in the Israel-Hamas war.
Meanwhile the Massoud design studio from Lebanon is showing Shiitake, a series of lamps made from foam and glass fibre reinforced concrete. Abeer Seikaly of Jordan has produced a showstopping piece, Constellations 2.0 (2023). "The suspended light sculpture is handcrafted using over 5,000 custom Murano glass pieces from Venice, Italy. It draws upon intangible heritage from both Italy and the Arab homeland," says Seikaly who also co-founded Amman Design Week.
Front left: Nada Debs's Bling Bling Coffee Table
© Edmund Sumner, Courtesy Qatar Museums
Nada Debs, another Lebanese designer, unveiled a Bling Bling Coffee Table at the biennial inlaid with 90 kilograms of Mother of Pearl and supported by metal legs. “This event plays a crucial role in continuously educating the population within our region, offering a unique opportunity for everyone, from professionals to students, to engage with the latest developments in design,” Debs tells The Art Newspaper.
Other key elements of the biennial include an innovative exchange programme between Qatar and Morocco; this new partnership sparked a dialogue between Qatari designers such as Nada Elkharashi and Abdulrahman AlMuftah who swapped places with Sara Ouhaddou and Bouchra Boudoua of Morocco. Other exhibitions in the inaugural edition of Design Doha include A Century of Architecture in Doha and Hundred Best Arabic Posters Round 04. The biennial is headed up by Glenn Adamson who serves as artistic director, formerly head of research at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
UPDATE (6 MARCH): This article was amended to include correct information about the work Constellations 2.0 (2023) by Abeer Seikaly and the founders of Amman Design Week.