Qatar-Brazil 2014
Qatar-Brazil Year of Culture built upon on a legacy of artistic exchange between the two nations, and celebrates their combined spirit. Although Qatar and Brazil may seem worlds apart, they have enjoyed close ties in recent years and have more similarities than meets the eye.
Both have experienced an economic boom thanks to oil production. Both are melting pots, bringing together diverse identities. And both, as future World Cup hosts, share a passion for football. Sport featured in some of the planned cultural activities, as well as Capoeira, graffiti, poetry, food and film.
Highlights
Highlights of the vibrant year of Qatar-Brazil included: Cultures of Brazil Festival, a week-long series of creative events in Doha; We Speak Football - an audio-visual experience celebrating international players, coaches, fans, and local football cultures; a showcase of Brazilian cinema in conjunction with DFI; and an exhibition with VCUQatar classes at Anima Gallery by vibrant Brazilian artists, Pedro Varela and Carolina Ponte.
Fashion forward
Kheit Competition, part of Qatar-Brazil 2014, offered an opportunity for students from selected universities to research, create and interpret cultural heritage through design. Students from Brazilian and Qatari universities researched each other’s styles, before creating a contemporary piece incorporating both. Ten final garments will be showcased in an exhibition staged in Qatar and Brazil, with winners travelling across the world to attend.
Sharing our Pearl collection
For thousands of years, pearls have been prized for their beauty - the only gem that requires no human hands to cut it into final form. They remain a symbol of luxury, and have become central to the fine jewellery industry, featuring prominently in the showrooms of Tiffany, Chaumet and Cartier.
Qatar was at the heart of the pearl trade for over 7,000 years. The story of pearls and pearl fishing remains fundamental to Qatar’s history as a nation, shedding light on a heritage that goes back centuries before the discovery of oil and gas.
We have taken our pearls to Japan and the UK, and to MAB-FAPP in Sao Paolo as part of Qatar-Brazil. With over 120 stunning pieces of jewellery and works of art, the exhibition demonstrated Qatar’s role in bringing the world this natural gem, and helps an international audience better understand us.
