About the Exhibition
Pearls of Wonder: a digital era is a multi-sensory exhibition featuring the work of five Qatari artists who explore the country’s rich and involved history of pearl diving and its related traditions and culture through a contemporary lens. Through video, audio, and VR, the exhibition evokes a time when Qatar was the most important pearl producer in the world, harkening back to a time when the tradition of pearl diving and its subsequent trade shaped the economic trajectory of the region.
Pearls of Wonder is curated by Dr. Bahaaeldin Abudaya, Curator of Contemporary Art, Qatar Museums and features artists Alanoud Al-Buainain, Maryam Al-Homaid, Saida Al-Khulaifi, May Saleh Almannai, and Mohammed Faraj Al-Suwaidi.
Pearls of Wonder was originally presented at Lavan 541 in New York City in 2021 during the Qatar – USA Year of Culture 2021. The exhibition’s presentation at QAIC is generously made possible by Excelerate Energy.
Explore Artists Work
Curated By
Maryam Al-Homaid |
Singing Narratives Within The Deep Sea
About the Work
As a local millennial living through the drastic rapid economic and cultural change within Doha, Qatar, she often finds herslef striving to reconnect with her family’s past. Her grandfather had a crucial role within the pearl diving era. He and may other men sacrificed their lives diving deep in the sea, hunting for pearls for months during the brutal summer heat of the region.
Maryam was inspired by the great poet Mubarak bin Saif Al Thani and his poem The Remains of a Diving Ship for this piece. In this poem, he talked about observing an abandoned ship lying by the seashore. The remains of the boat are left on the seashore for the next generation to witness.
Curated By
Alanoud Al-Buainain |
Vestige (Recollections)
About the Work
Influenced by the round, spherical shape of the pearl and its radiance, Vestige (Recollections) reflects on the world of pearl diving. Through re-recorded archival footage, montaged with animations and videos created and filmed by the artist, the mirrored elements continue beyond the surface of the pearls, into the inner shell of the oyster, the sea, and parts of the dhows. The sound features recordings by the artist of the sea, glimpses from pearl diving archival resources, brought together with rhythms, such as handclaps and drum beats, that appear in the songs performed by the pearl divers on their journeys.
Curated By
May Almannai |
A Journey To The Past
About the Work
A window into the nineteenth century, when pearl diving was prevalent in the region. The journey of a pearl diver began with a beach ceremony. The different crews would stand next to their vessel and bid farewell to their families and others standing onshore as they took to the sea.
Curated By
Saida Al-Khulaifi |
Pearls of Rain
About the Work
An old myth says that pearls are created when oysters swallow raindrops. In the Arabian Peninsula, a land rarely blessed with rain, pearl diving was a leading source of income until oil was discovered and cultured pearls dominated the market. Pearls of Rain imagines a foggy dream and nostalgic memory of the artist’s great-grandparents who lived in that period.
Curated By
Mohammed Faraj Al-Suwaidi|Bubbles and Pearls
About the Work
Bubbles and Pearls explores the concept of time and evolution. Pearl diving was one of Qatar’s main industries until the early 1930’s. The art installation conceptualizes the progression of pearls’ value throughout time. The journey leads to the introduction of natural gases, marking an end to the pearling industry and a new beginning in Qatar’s development.
Installation Shots
