Qatar Tourism reveals an incredible live destination art experience featuring goalpost-shaped installations that frame some of Qatar’s most picturesque views
- David Beckham has captured a picture in front of one of the goalposts to mark the launch
Each ‘Posts of Qatar’ installation has been created by an individual artist or a pair of artists, with two goalposts designed by artists from Qatar and the remaining eight by artists from nations that have previously won the tournament: England, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil.
The art installations reflect elements of each artist’s home country combined with aspects of Qatar’s rich cultural heritage, demonstrating the role that football can play in bringing together cultures from across the world.
Local artists have lent their talents to the project: Ghada Al-Suwaidi designed the goalpost that represents Qatar while Abdulaziz Yousef created a goalpost that welcomes all the countries participating in the tournament. In addition, both the Argentinian and French concepts were created with a Qatari touch – calligraphy artist Fatima Alsharshani created the elegant written structure that crowns the Argentinian goalpost and Maryam Faraj Al-Suwaidi’s sweeping, metallic dhow boat sails adorn the French installation.
Ghada Al-Suwaidi, the artist who designed the first goalpost representing Qatar, said: “My design centres on nostalgia. The nostalgia of traditional architecture, especially in Souq Waqif, never changing despite the country’s constant state of modernization. The nostalgia of childhood football matches, of running barefoot in the backyard, of using doorways as makeshift goalposts, and the nostalgia of getting in trouble when the ball would destroy the bougainvillea growing in every corner. Thankfully, the bougainvillea is a sturdy plant and still flowers in every Qatari backyard to this day. I brought all these aspects together in the hope that those who experienced that childhood can do so again, and those who never did, can peer into our past and join us there.”
Abdulaziz Yousef, the artist who designed the goalpost representing international visitors, said: “Like all good ideas, the design for this goalpost was born out of a collaborative effort with the team at Qatar Tourism. We wanted to represent not just the people of Qatar, but everyone around the world who will sharing this momentous occasion with us. I used my personal graffiti style to bring the post to life and added elements of one of my favourite things in Qatar – the sunsets in winter. I can’t wait for visitors to experience them. No matter where you are in the country, you can always count on the colours to dazzle you into a trance. After all, there is nothing more unifying than playing the beautiful game under a sunset we all share. That is what I hoped to capture.”
Fatima Alsharshani, the artist who created the calligraphy featured on the Argentina goalpost, said, “Calligraphy is one of the foremost important visual arts in our Arab culture. In this piece with Simo [Simon Vibrant], I used Moroccan calligraphy, which I specialize in, to write ‘Argentina’ in a reflective acrylic material. I wanted the surface of the calligraphy to mirror the Argentinean design while, at the same time, reflect the rocky landscape of Zekreet. This melding of cultures demonstrates the way football allows these two countries on opposite sides of the world to co-exist and flourish.”
Maryam Faraj Al-Suwaidi, the artist who designed the visual element of the France goalpost, said: “The cultural importance of the dhow can’t be overstated, and it’s a beautiful coincidence that the shape of billowing sails also makes the perfect amplifier for Guillaume’s sound art.”
About Qatar Tourism
Qatar Tourism’s mission is to establish Qatar as a place where cultural authenticity meets modernity, and where people of the world come together to experience unique offerings in culture, sports, business and family entertainment, rooted in Service Excellence. Qatar Tourism will regulate and develop the tourism industry, encouraging investment from the private sector. It will set the national strategy for the tourism sector, reviewing it periodically and overseeing its implementation, with the aim of diversifying tourism offerings in the country and increasing visitor spend. Through our network of international offices in priority markets, and cutting-edge digital platforms, Qatar Tourism is expanding Qatar’s presence globally and
