A fairground carousel designed by the Iraqi artist Dia Al-Azzawi, which can be used by local residents, has been unveiled in Doha’s MIA Park. The merry-go-round, located in a children’s play area near the Museum of Islamic Art, is the latest piece commissioned by Qatar Museums as part of its ambitious public art programme.
Al-Azzawi’s carousel, titled Enchanted East, features 40 animal seats inspired by works in the collection of the Museum of Islamic Art. The artist also incorporates Arabic calligraphy and Islamic arabesque in the floor and ceiling of the working carousel.
Al-Azzawi says: “Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani [the chairperson of Qatar Museums] wanted to create a piece for children. I said that we have to draw on Arab art and history for the piece.” A retrospective of the artist’s works spanning 50 years opened earlier this week at two sites: Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art and QM Gallery Al Riwaq (until 16 April 2017).
Meanwhile, two sculptures by Al-Azzawi, titled Flying Man (2016), are being installed in the arrivals lounge at Hamad International Airport, where several other Qatar Museums commissions are on display. These include Urs Fischer’s 23-foot high bronze Lamp Bear (2015) in the grand foyer, and Bill Viola’s LED piece The Crossroads (2016) in the departure area. Two other permanent pieces—Marc Quinn’s The Nurseries of El Dorado and Rudolf Stingel’s Untitled— went on show earlier this year at the airport.
Other public art works in the programme include Smoke, a 24-foot tall aluminium sculpture (1967) by the late US artist Tony Smith on show at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre. A trio of sculptures by the Indian artist Subodh Gupta, Ghandi’s Three Monkeys, was unveiled at Katara Cultural Village in 2012. Richard Serra's East-West/West-East, made of four gargantuan steel plates that span more than a kilometre, is located in the Brouq nature reserve outside Doha. The budget for Qatar Museums public art programme is undisclosed.
Adel Abdessemed’s controversial sculpture Coup de Tête, which shows the French footballer Zinedine Zidane headbutting the Italian defender Marco Materazzi, was removed from the Doha Corniche in late 2013. A spokeswoman for Qatar Museums says that the work is in storage.
