A series of sculptures depicting former US president George W. Bush, garlanded by a wreath of shoes, is making waves in Doha. The provocative pieces feature in an exhibition at Qatar Museums Gallery Katara, dedicated to the feisty Iraqi artist Mahmoud Obaidi (until 30 January 2017). The works focus on a “moment in history that Obaidi does not want forgotten”, the organisers say, referring to the incident in 2008 when the Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi hurled his shoes at Bush during a press conference in protest at the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. “He’s the one, but he’s not the only one. It’s the system, but I have to find someone to blame, so he’s the one,” Obaidi says. Bush, meanwhile, has made his name painting dogs since leaving the White House.
