In this artistic experiment, she distinctively reflects on the rapid social and cultural changes that have taken place in her surroundings in a short period of time. Al-Muftah utilises the space to evoke shared local memories and question current local cultural practices visibly influenced by technology with a growing focus on individualism.
In order to highlight this challenging topic the artist contextualises the lyrical traditional game Tag ‘tag ‘tagya* and deconstructs its forms to redefine cultural narratives, offering a symbolic experience in a space in which the past and the present intersect.
The artistic process and methodology are prominently prioritised in this space. This is emphasised by integrating different materials to the project, such as sound, wall mirrors and canvas floor, through which the artist interrogates the perception and the use of traditional collective stories in the context of the contemporary.
*Tag ‘tag ‘tagya is the first phrase of a song used in a traditional group game played by boys and girls from different parts of the Arabian Gulf.
Artist Statement
“The mirror encapsulates this whole concept of the viewer literally being placed in my own thoughts, and watching the experience unfolds, as if from another time or planet. This is my memory, and this is where I invite the audience to see themselves captured in this moment of time to pause for thought, reflection, and dialogue.”
“It is my aspiration to take these stories and transform them to a non-pragmatic way of expression which evokes the thoughts of the viewers and invites them to contemplate the past, the present and the future. The memories of these stories are fragments torn out of a book and are reconstructed to a much larger scale to emphasise their impact and importance in today’s local culture.”
Artist Biography
A visual Qatari artist, Bouthayna Al-Muftah (b.1987, Tunis) received her Bachelor of Arts (BA) from Virginia Commonwealth University School of Arts, Qatar in 2010. Upon her graduation, Al-Muftah focused her artistic practice on printmaking, typography, and drawing, which evolved into multiple mixed media installations.
To reconstruct past experiences into contemporary settings, Al-Muftah often finds folkloric characters and stories and transforms them into her own artistic projects.
Al-Muftah’sexhibitions include Contemporary Art Qatar, Kraftwerk Berlin, Germany (2018), 20/20/20 at Virginia Commonwealth University Qatar’s Gallery, Doha, Qatar (2017), Currents organised by EMERGEAST gallery (2017), Here, There, Al Riwaq Art Space, Doha, Qatar (2014) and the Mini Art Exhibition, Katara Visual Arts Centre, Doha, Qatar (2013).