Qatar America Institute for Culture opens immersive, technology-based exhibition Pearls of Wonder: a digital era

The exhibition celebrates and explores Qatar’s rich pearl diving history through the lens of five contemporary Qatari artists

June 2 – December 15, 2023

WASHINGTON, June 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — The Qatar America Institute for Culture (QAIC) is pleased to present the multi-sensory exhibition, Pearls of Wonder: a digital era. The exhibition explores Qatar’s rich and involved history of pearl diving and its related traditions and culture through a contemporary lens. Video, audio, and virtual reality-based installations by Alanoud Al-Buainain, Maryam Al-Homaid, Said Al-Khulaifi, May Salah Almannai, and Mohammed Faraj Al-Suwaidi transport visitors to a time when Qatar was the most important pearl producer in the world.

Curated by Dr. Bahaaeldin Abudaya, Curator of Contemporary Art, Qatar Museums, the exhibition is a legacy project of the 2021 Qatar-USA Year of Culture and has been previously exhibited at Lavan 541 in New York City and Qatar Museums. Taking inspiration from the journey and perils of the pearl diver, the artists’ personal family histories, and Qatar’s trajectory from reliance on this traditional industry to its current economic development, the artists incorporate new and archival imagery, sound, and poetry bridging the past and present.

“I’m thrilled to present this immersive and reflective exhibition in Washington, D.C. during a year in which QAIC’s focus is on the intersection between technology and the arts. I’m thankful to Qatar Museums and the artists for providing our audiences with such a valuable opportunity to understand and engage with an important part of Qatar’s national heritage, culture, and history,” says QAIC’s Executive Director, Fatima Al-Dosari.

Curator Dr. Abudaya adds, “I’m delighted to have the opportunity to share these artists’ work outside of Doha and bring a piece of our culture to the United States through an exhibition highlighting an important part of our nation’s history: our pearling industry.”

Pearls of Wonder presentation at QAIC is generously made possible by Excelerate Energy. The soft opening of the exhibition was held on Friday, June 2, in partnership with BID Dupont’s First Friday. The official opening will be held on Saturday, June 24, from 11:00AM to 7:00PM, during QAIC’s Summer Festival. To learn more about the opening reception or schedule a visit, visit qataramerica.org. Related public programs to be announced. 

About QAIC
The Qatar America Institute for Culture (QAIC) is a Washington, D.C.-based independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that creates, curates, and executes programs and research that amplify the prominence of all forms of art and culture from the United States, Qatar, and the larger Arab and Islamic worlds. To learn more about QAIC, please visit qataramerica.org.

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SOURCE Qatar America Institute for Culture