(MENAFN- The Peninsula)
Amid an anti-vandalism campaign on public art launched by Qatar Museums, persons who recently vandalised the famous 'East West/West East installation by renowned artist Richard Serra in Zekreet have been apprehended and legal action taken against them.
'Qatar Museums announced a new incident of vandalism to the 'East West/West East sculpture by internationally acclaimed artist, Richard Serra, on 28 December, Qatar Museums said in a post on its official Facebook account yesterday.
'The vandals were apprehended by authorities, and were referred to Public Prosecution for the necessary legal action to be taken against them, wrote Qatar Museums.
With this incident, Qatar Museums has reminded the public that 'vandalism of all kinds is a crime punishable by law, and Qatar Museums emphasises our collective social responsibility to preserve public art. Qatar Museums had carried out a clean-up operation to restore Serra's sculpture after it was defaced by unsightly tags and graffiti.
Spanning over a kilometre and comprising four steel plates, the sculpture has become a major attraction for art enthusiasts and tourists alike. The unique sculpture is an imposing structure as each of the four plates stands over 14 metres in height in stark contrast to the topography of the land and the desolate space in the heart of the desert.
In September last year, Qatar Museums launched an anti-vandalism campaign aimed towards protecting and preserving installations across the country, encouraging the wider community to share in the responsibility to take ownership of the public art.
As part of the campaign, Qatar Museums installed anti-vandalism signage at the location of Richard Serra's installation at the Brouq nature reserve in Zekreet. The signage, installed in collaboration with Ashghal, serves to educate the community on what constitutes vandalism of public art: drawing, marking, spray painting, scratching, or any other act that damages or defaces an installation.
Qatar Museums is committed to nurturing a thriving public art scene through the hashtag #OurPublicArt that reflects the artistic expression of the wider community.
Qatar Museums has just concluded the Jedariart public art initiative, a month-long programme, in which 18 locally-based artists added meaning to the city's walls through diverse murals and street art executed at 10 locations across Doha.
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