Sheikha Moza visits ‘Relics’ exhibition

HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser this evening paid a visit to ‘Relics’ exhibition by the British renowned artist Damien Hirst, being staged at ALRIWAQ exhibition space. HH Sheikha Moza was accompanied during the tour of the exhibition by HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad Al Thani, Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of Qatar Museums Authority, HE Sheikh Hassan bin Ali Al Thani , Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Qatar Museums Authority , and the artist Damien Hirst . The exhibition includes both famously iconic, and previously unseen artworks. Explaining, ‘art’s about life and it can’t really be about anything else there isn’t anything else,’ Hirst’s work investigates and challenges contemporary belief systems, and dissects the tensions and uncertainties at the heart of human experience. ‘Relics’ also includes pieces from a cross-section of Hirst’s most important series including the Spot Paintings and the Natural History series of animals preserved in formaldehyde. Also on display will be one of the most iconic and widely recognized artworks to have emerged in the past decade; the diamond encrusted skull, ‘For the Love of God’ (2007). The exhibition follows in the footsteps of Hirst’s major retrospective at Tate Modern in 2012, which became the most visited solo exhibition in the gallery’s history. Curated by the internationally renowned writer, critic and curator, Francesco Bonami, ‘Relics’ is part of a series of cultural initiatives organized by QMA in order to foster discussions and cultural exchange between the UK and Qatar. It forms part of Qatar UK 2013 Year of Culture which celebrates and showcases the deep-rooted bilateral relations between Qatar and the UK.