(MENAFN- The Peninsula) joelyn baluyut |
The Peninsula
Doha: The 3rd Katara International Arabian Horse Festival has not only become a platform to showcase the finest Arabian horses to the world but also has emerged as an avenue for artists to display their artworks.
One notable artist who's creating a life-size Arabian horse mirror sculpture is Tarek Maarkach. He plans to finish the artwork at the conclusion of the festival or on February 11. The sculpture shines bright even from afar.
The handmade work of art was made using composite casting and mirror will be added to finish it off. The sculpture's curves required extra care, and each piece of mirror is being glued piece by piece.
The truly unique piece of work added a completely different atmosphere to the Horse festival, which runs for 11 days. People were astounded at how the artist painstakingly and expertly attached each mirror to the sculpture, making it a real showstopper.
Maarkach, who's been an artist for 20 years, admitted that working on the project makes him a little anxious.“I'm a little bit nervous about how it will turn out – after 11 days. It's quite hard, to be honest, but you need to love this work because it takes time, if you do not love what you do, it will be difficult for you.”
After completion, the horse mirror mosaic sculpture will be displayed at Katara.
The artist has been creating mosaic art for many years, but this specific artwork is only his second endeavor and his first life-size sculpture. Maarkach is a multimedia artist who works in a variety of art genres, such as painting and sketching, in addition to sculpting.
Aside from Maarkach, two street/graffiti artists can also be seen at Katara doing live spray painting – Qatari artist Mubarak Al Malik and Algerian artist Mekky Dfs who are both in the art industry for 13 years.
They were given a canvas (half mirror and half white canvas) on which they will create their artwork.
Dfs, who traveled all the way from Algeria to Qatar, used black spray to create a reflection of the horse. According to him, the event serves as a platform for artists like himself to exhibit their work.
Al Malik said that doing live art painting is bringing art to life in public spaces for everyone. He explained that 'public art' brings people together and art does not confine to only galleries or museums.“During big events like the horse festival, one can see live painting and displays on the sidelines. People can interact with us, get to know the artist's style and drawing.”
The Arabian horse in his spray art also has a distinct touch of Qatari symbols, which he often incorporates throughout his artwork.