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Lezima Gomes
Doha
'TAMIM the Glorious', an exhibition of a collection of paintings and portraits by a proud Qatari artist Ahmed al Maadheed, got underway at the W Doha Hotel and Residences on Saturday.
Maadheed gained national and international acclaim with his portrait of the Emir His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani. After the beginning of the siege imposed on Qatar by some neighbouring countries, citizens and expatriates used the poster, named 'Tamim Al Majd', to express their support for the HH the Emir and the Qatari government.
The portrait gained attention when Maadheed posted it on his social media accounts, without even knowing that the portrait had gained huge popularity.
"It was not a new portrait. It was something I had done much before the crisis. I posted it only to show my feelings of support towards HH the Emir and my pride being a Qatari. I didn't expect it to go viral," he said.
The exhibition showcases 35 of his art works, some of which he had created much before the crises started and some over the last three weeks. Most of the paintings express patriotism and have titles such as Respect, The Giver, Pride and Silence, among others.
"The sole objective of the exhibition is to show respect to the nation and express my gratitude for all that the country has given to us. The fact that the portrait is seen all over the houses, cars and social media platforms, is a proof that even expats in Qatar feel like at home."
Maadheed, who is also the founder of Notion Media LLC, has been involved in many media-related projects such as making of animations, tv series, advertisements and media campaigns.
The portrait is widely known by its name as 'Tamim al Majd' which translates as 'Tamim The Glorious'. Maadheed's artwork is available through his Instagram account, which has almost 50,000 followers.
The exhibition will continue at the Art 29 Art space at the W Doha Hotel and Residences from 10am to 10pm until September 10.
