QL Exclusive: An interview with Qatari artist, Sheikh Mubarak Nasser Al-Thani
Qatar Living speaks to Mubarak Nasser Al-Thani to learn more about his journey being a self-taught artist.
Mubarak attained his bachelor’s degree in International Politics in 2010 from Georgetown School of Foreign Service in Qatar. He then got a master’s degree in Urban Planning from NYU Wagner in 2017.
Mubarak is a self-taught artist and he has never studied art.
“I think it is a long relationship that there was no single moment where I said let me do art. I think I was catching it since I was young and that developed in sketching and painting first, then it developed into canvases,” he described.
Mubarak participated with the Fire station Artist in Residence from 2017 to 2018.
He practices many kinds of art, such as medium, acrylic paintings, sculptures, audios, and photography.
“It is quite diverse, but my main focus is painting on canvas,” he said.
His inspiration comes from travelling and moving, he says. It gives him the ability to improve new perspectives.
“I travel and move, and I get inspired by what’s around me,” he mentioned.
Mubarak has showcased his art in many places, in Qatar and abroad.
One of his most highlighted exhibitions was at the United Nations Headquarters in New York in July 2019, and his other exhibition in the United Nations in Geneva in October 2019.
Mubarak had many other exhibitions in Qatar at W Hotel, EAA Foundation, Fire Station, United States Embassy, Al Markhiya Gallery and Katara Gallery.
In 2017 he showed his art at Byrnes Gallery in New York, and in the same year he exhibited his art at Ninth Street Espresso in New York.
He believes that art can tell any story. “Any artist is powerful, and art can convey any message,” Mubarak said.
He wants people who see his art to think that art is not only about beauty but also holds value in terms of the messages behind each piece.
“I want everyone to appreciate my art, and I want them to think as I like to put different messages from political, to social justice messages, and a lot of things that are happening in our world, that we need to care about,” he described.
Mubarak mentioned that his work has been influenced by Qatar’s environment and this is something that normally happens.
“You are a result of your surroundings and I am a result of Qatar,” he said.
“I depict culture in my background a lot, I draw cactus, palm trees, and desert,” he added.
As any other artist Mubarak faced many challenges, but the biggest challenge for him has been to continue the process of creating art.
“To do art once in a while is fine, but to continue doing art it takes a lot of time, efforts, dedication, and inspiration,” he said.
COVID-19 affected everyone, personally and professionally, and it has affected Mubarak in both ways.
However, Mubarak did not let this period stop him from continuing creating art.
“COVID-19 affected me as it limited me of making art because I stopped travelling and exploring. So, all of that did not give me much inspiration at that time. However, I did create a lot of things as I created 15 during this tough year but not as many as the previous years,” he said.
Mubarak urges young artists to never stop creating art and to always be creative.
“My message to the younger artists is to continue making art and try to think out of the box, and never be afraid to challenge and to give new perspectives, to not copy others,” he ended.
To know more about Mubarak Nasser Al-Thani and his artworks, you can check him on his Instagram: @mbarak_althani or check his website at http://www.mubaraknasser.com/about/
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