With the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Doha, Qatar Museums (QM) is taking the initiative to transform public spaces such as parks, train stations, hotels, Hamad International Airport, souks, deserts, and the eight stadiums of the tournament into art galleries.
These sculptures form a huge outdoor art museum. Therefore, 40 works of new art sculpture were added to the existing 70 works nationwide. Today let us take a look at the large sculptures of the World Cup.
Artists commissioning new works include Olafur Eliasson, Jeff Koons, Yayoi Kusama, KAWS, Rashid Johnson, Ernesto Neto, Lawrence Weiner, Fei Yeh Toogood, Katharina Fritsch, and other well-known artists. Qatari and MENA artists who will be presenting their work include Adel Abidin, Ahmed Al-Bahrani, Shouq Al-Mana, Shua’a Al-Muftah, Salman Al-Malek, Monira Al-Qadiri, Simone Fattal and Faraj Daham.
First of all, there is a large bronze World Cup trophy sculpture in front of Khalifa International Stadium. The shape of the trophy expresses the joy of victory in the form of two people supporting the world. Gazzaniga, the trophy’s designer, explained, “I designed the world as a sphere and expressed it as similar to a soccer ball. The image of the trophy implies “a spiral line rising from the ground supporting the earth, powerfully representing The passion of the moment of victory”.
Artist: Adel Abdessemed
Venue: New Sports Museum
The sculpture will be reinstalled in a new sports museum in Doha. Algerian-born French artist Adel Abdessemed’s sculpture depicts the moment Zidane headbutted Italian player Materazzi during extra time in the 2006 World Cup final. Zidane was sent off as Italy went on to beat France on penalties. The purpose of presenting this piece is to relieve stress and mental health issues in athletes.
Artist: Jeff Koons
Location: Al Masrah Park
A new public installation by Jeff Koons has been unveiled at Al Masrah Park on Doha’s Corniche. This large sculpture is made of colorful mirror-polished stainless steel. The huge metal sculpture is 32 meters long and 24 meters high. Among them, the colossal sculpture depicts a dugong propped on the waves. Among the sculptural groups are Ernesto Neto’s Slugs.
Artist: Isa Genzken
Venue: Qatar National Theater
Qatar National Theater’s “Two Orchids” sculpture is the work of world-renowned German artist Isa Genzken in collaboration with the Qatar Roads and Public Spaces Beautification Supervision Committee. The ambiguous “Two Orchids” sculpture depicts a powerful celebration of life. And its eternal existence inevitably implies the passing of life. The large statue also reflects the fragility, grace, and beauty of the flower.
Artist: Bruce Nauman
Location: Msheireb city center
Untitled (Trench, Shafts, Pit, Tunnel, and Chamber) is one of a series of works created by the famous American sculptor Bruce Nauman in the late 1970s. The artwork is part of the Qatar-American Cultural Year program and is located in front of the M7 in downtown Msheireb, Doha. The artwork draws inspiration from Qatar’s traditional heritage to create a smart city that exudes modern architecture. Also, the sculpture contrasts sharply with the white building.
Artist: Brian Donnelly
Location: Port Dhow
This is an installation by American-born artist Brian Donnelly. He is called KAWS. This huge sculpture is 40 meters high. Representing the artist’s attempt to remind passers-by to relax in an increasingly busy world. Like other works by KAWS, the sculpture uses wit and irreverence to make playful commentary on our humanity.
KAWS’ site-specific commission THE PROMISE. The American artist depicts a parent carefully passing the globe into the hands of a child. This is a unique work by Dadu and it is on display at Qatar Children’s Museum.
Artist: Yayoi Kusama
Location: MIA Park
Yayoi Kusama’s most distinctive work over the years. The first one is the sculpture “I want to fly to the universe”. This artwork is a starfish-shaped sculpture at the entrance of the museum. Then, “My Soul Blooms Forever” is a beautiful set of flowers. At the same time, “Dancing Pumpkins” also represented a new form for the artist. These brightly colored flowers are between 6 and 9 feet tall.
Artist: Sabah Arbilli
Location: Corniche
The poem means “I stand out among the sultans like an eagle floating on a mountain peak.” In this large sculpture, calligraphy is used in the form of individual Arabic letters. And, they combined together to form this sculpture. It is the first sculpture to use the poetry of Qatar’s founder and Arbilli’s first public sculpture of this scale.
Artist: Choi Jeong Hwa
Location: Education City
Colorful sphere sculptures by Korean artist Choi Jeong Hwa. Come Together artwork was recently added to Education City’s public art collection. As part of celebrating the country’s efforts to host the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The 12-meter-tall colorful artwork consists of worker helmets, mirror balls, and traditional Qatari objects.
Artist: Tom Claassen
Location: Hamad International Airport
The golden artwork also depicts the country’s national bird in an abstract form. A gilded falcon sits on a ledge overlooking the airport’s departure hall. This bronze giant falcon sculpture exudes royalty. Tom Claassen is known for his work depicting wildlife and nature.
Artist: Urs Fischer
Location: Hamad International Airport
Hamad International Airport has a giant teddy bear sculpture. The bear sculpture has a lamp on its head. This much-talked-about teddy bear was created by Swiss artist Urs Fischer. It is one of Qatar’s most followed works on Instagram.
This humorous teddy bear sculpture is made of bronze. Moreover, the entire sculptural composition hints at the importance of innocent memories of childhood. The lamp bear art at the airport is attractive and highlights Cartel’s hospitality. In addition, the sculpture’s sheer size and beauty amaze people.
Artist: Subodh Gupta
Venue: Katara Cultural Village
Subodh Gupta, one of India’s most renowned contemporary artists, has released this stunning work at Katara, a cultural village in Doha. The artist is known for using everyday metal objects, especially thin boxes, as the primary materials for constructing his works.
Gupta borrowed the metaphor of the famous Gandhi’s Three Monkeys to raise awareness of the horrors of war. These large metal three monkey sculptures do not see evil, do not hear evil, and do not speak.
Artist: Richard Serra
Location: MIA Park
The huge metal sculpture consists of four steel plates, each 14 meters high, and is located in the Brouq Nature Reserve. A sense of timelessness and mystery surrounds the place. Regardless of the distance between the plates, we can see them as a whole.
In addition, another iconic work of art is a 24-meter-high building. The sculpture was commissioned by the National Museum of Qatar. The sculpture overlooks the sea in MIA Park. This is also believed to be the tallest structure built by Richard.
Artist: Tony Smith
Venue: West Bay Doha Convention Center
One of the pioneers of American Minimalist sculpture, Tony Smith launched Smoke in 1967. It is the only sculpture he created for a public space. The sculptures span space in vast, abstract compositions. At the same time, it provides a fascinating feeling for the viewer. The artist was eager to express his keen interest in organic shapes such as honeycombs or crystals. This two-story aluminum artwork is a collection of geometric components. The sculpture consists of five tetrahedrons and 45 extended octahedrons, reaching a height of more than 7 meters.
Artist: Damien Hirst
Venue: The Sidra Medical Center
This series of large bronze sculptures were created between 2005 and 2013. And the sculpture is located in front of the Sidra Medical Research Center, a medical institution in Qatar. It consists of 14 parts of varying heights. The artist is known for his preoccupation with the ubiquitous theme of death. This group sculpture illuminates the process of human birth and decay.
Artist: Louise Bourgeois
Venue: Qatar National Convention Center, Education City
Maman is the iconic sculpture of Louise Bourgeois, one of the most important artists of the 20th century. His work is dominated by themes of separation, loneliness, and the female body. This particular sculpture of a giant spider reflects the beauty and ugliness of this animal. It is located in the National Convention Center of Qatar. As the name suggests, the bronze spider sculpture is dedicated to the artist’s mother, who was a French weaver.
Artist: Sarah Lucas
Location: MIA Park
As one of the representatives of the UK’s leading young artists, Sarah Lucas has successfully become a well-known artist with her critical expression of popular culture. This piece of hers is located in Qatar’s largest park. The sculpture depicts a horse pulling a carriage and pumpkins. Made of bronze, it represents the artist’s interest in dealing with various cultural contexts. The name of the sculpture Percival recalls the Knights of the Round Table from the Arthurian legend.
Artist: Cesar Baldaccini
Location: Waqif Market
Pouce by Italian artist César Baldaccini is not only a work of art in Qatar. This large thumb bronze sculpture is even more of a landmark. This work of art combines modern design with a traditional look. A gleaming bronze thumb sits at the center of this traditional market. The highly polished bronze patina complements the glow of street lights at night.
Artist: Ahmed Al Bahrani
Venue: Lusail Multipurpose Hall
The Lusail handball sculpture was created by Iraqi artist Ahmed Al Bahrani. This striking sculpture stands just outside the multipurpose hall. These works of art are a series of large bronze hand sculptures. Also, the hand sculpture is huge, reaching the sky.
To celebrate Qatar hosting the Men’s Handball World Championships in 2015. A number of bronze hand sculptures of various sizes rise from the concrete. The sculptural mass creates what appears to be a handball game in progress.
Artist: Lorenzo Quinn
Venue: Katara Amphitheater
Force of Nature II is a large sculpture made of bronze, stainless steel, and aluminum. The sculpture depicts a woman throwing planets in a circle. Additionally, the sculpture is located in the 5,000-seat Katara Amphitheater. Italian contemporary artist Lorenzo Quinn presents this work of art as a tribute to nature. He simultaneously reminds people of the power of nature and of man’s responsibility to the planet.
This piece of public art was unveiled in Qatar in October 2011. So far, the number of “Forces of Nature II” is only four, and the remaining three are installed in Shanghai, New York City, and London’s Berkeley Square.
Artist: Shouq Al Mana
Where: Lusail Marina Promenade
Egal is inspired by the black rope that Qatari men use to secure their ghutrahs. This is an important part of their traditional clothing. The artwork is slightly tilted to express the gratitude of the people of Qatar to His Highness Al Thani and the Qatari government. By depicting cultural headgear worn by men as part of traditional attire. Egal pays homage to Qatar’s history and traditions.
Of course, in addition to the 20 sculptures created by large-scale artists introduced above, we can also appreciate many other sculptures here. Among them are charming animal sculptures to promote the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, which have been installed at the Souq Waqif in Doha.
Lebanese artist Simone Fattal’s Maqam I, Maqam II, and Maqam III have also become landmarks in Qatar. She created three granite sculptures out of blue granite. Additionally, these granites come in a variety of shapes and can be instantly perceived as dunes, buildings, or tents.
Also, the sculpture titled The Nurseries of El Dorado is a good example of Quinn’s practice. The sculpture represents a large floral composition of different hybrid species.
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