Knock, Rain, Knock explores Qatari culture through newly commissioned works by seven Qatari and Qatar-based artists. The exhibition is structured into distinct chapters, each focusing on different aspects of rain's impact on life in Qatar, from its symbolism in Islamic rituals to its influence on the landscape and the responsibilities it imposes on humanity.
Landscape
The exhibition opens with a section titled Landscape, where Fatima Abbas presents Glimpse of Rain, a diptych that contrasts a year with rain and a year with drought, and Farah Al Sidiky’s Place of Abandon, a two-channel video installation that examines narratives around spaces characterised as “deserts.”
To Pray
The second chapter, To Pray, centres on salat al istisqaa, a prayer performed to call for rain during droughts. Hind Al Saad’s kinetic machine installation, So They Rejoice, incorporates a religious text about the blessing of rain, while Sara Al Naimi’s Al Istigatha features a triptych of woodblock prints on linen, using words from a poem by the late revered poet of Nabati poetry, Mohsen bin Osman Al-Hazani.
To Receive
The third chapter, To Receive, highlights rain as a symbol of mercy in Islam, emphasising the scarcity and preciousness of each drop in Qatar’s arid climate. Guillaume Rouseré’s After the Rain, the sole work in this section, is an immersive multi-sensory installation that invites visitors to experience and connect with Qatar’s landscape in the serene aftermath of rain.
To Bear
The final chapter, To Bear, reflects on the earth's ability to bear the fruits of rain’s blessings and our responsibilities as stewards of the environment. Abdulrahman Al Muftah’s Rain on Materiality features three large patinated copper sheets inspired by metal billboard structures found across Qatar. Nada Elkharashi’s Al-Fag'a Oasis includes an installation and video work inspired by the desert truffle, or faga’a, exploring the journey of collecting rainwater in the desert.
Throughout Knock, Rain, Knock, the artworks engage with themes of Arab and Islamic identity, water symbolism, and the communal experience of rain, inviting viewers to deepen their connection to Qatar’s cultural heritage and environment.
