Abeer Al Kuwari is a self-taught Qatari artist based in Doha. In her artistic practice, she works with several different disciplines, i.a. photography, painting and sculpture. Al Kuwari’s work presents a meeting between contemporary modern art and a tradition grounded in folklore, heritage and identity. Her work follows a long tradition of Qatari female artists.
At the age of 16, Al Kuwari became the first female member of the Qatar Photographic Society and at the age of 22 she started her own photography studio, Photogenic. Her portraits have been shown in several different exhibitions and in 2004 she was awarded the Saoud Al Thani prize for her photographic works.
During a period as a grantee and Artist-in-Residence at Doha Fire Station’s art program in 2016, Al Kuwari began experimenting with different artistic mediums, e.g. painting and sculpture. She focused on Qatari folklore and fairy tales and by reimagining these stories, Al Kuwari not only recalled the memories of her youth, but also reinterpreted the well-known characters. In her own unique style, she shared the rich and vibrant storytelling tradition of Qatar, as an inspiration to the next generation of young Qataris.
In the artist’s later works, she returns to her roots in photography, but further develops the photographic works with different types of mixed media.
She portrays the people of Qatar and its culture through an abstract lens that raises questions about beauty and identity in our modern age.
From her artworks:
