Katara Presents Constantin Boym: Learning from Mabkhara

Funded by a VCUQatar Faculty Research Grant, ‘Learning from Mabkhara’ will open at 7:00pm on Thursday, 8 November at Katara Gallery, Gallery 2, Building 13, and will run until 1December 2012. The event is open to the public.

Featuring unique and exquisite shapes and designs, Mabkhara is a traditional Arab incense burner, an authentic object typically used as daily domestic activities in the Arab world. Incense burners serve as representations of sensorial culture of the East, much celebrated in the world of literature and arts of the last two centuries. The exhibition will present the new objects alongside their traditional prototypes from the region, to illustrate the process of “learning” and to better highlight the dialectic between continuity and innovation.

Commenting on the occasion, Sa’id Costa, curator of exhibitions and educational programs of Katara said: “Following the success of the Shared Glass Exhibition we are delighted to welcome back Constantin Boym. This beautiful collection, hand-made by the glass master Massimo Lunardon in Veneto, Italy, promotes a new vision for the traditional objects of Arab culture.

He continued, “This exhibition is a testament of our commitment to nurturing local talents as well as providing a platform for cultural exchange.”

The collection of incense burners are made of borosilicate (Pyrex), a special glass that is clear and heat-resistant. The traditional formal language is extended into the realm of new materials and technologies, reflecting changing conditions of material culture in the Gulf.

Constantin Boym is a professor and inaugural director of the MFA in Design graduate program at VCUQatar.

The exhibition will open at 7:00pm on Thursday, 8 November at Katara Gallery, Gallery 2, Building 13, and will run until 1 December 2012.