Featuring works by:
Hazem Mestikawy (Egypt)
Yousef Ahmad (Qatar)
al markhiya gallery presents an exhibition bringing together two pioneering figures of modern Arab art: Qatari painter Yousef Ahmad and Egyptian sculptor Hazem El Mestikawy. Although the artists have worked across different disciplines and geographies, they share a deep commitment to abstraction rooted in place, material, and cultural memory.
Engaging with the Qatari landscape for decades, Ahmad's paintings capture its unique light and textures, weaving these into a calligraphic visual language that is at once intimate and expressive.
El Mestikawy's sculptures present a quieter inquiry into geometry and form, finding in structure and material a type of poetic architecture.
Together, their compositions draw on the natural world, histories, and languages that lie at the heart of their practices.
Ahmad's long relationship with Qatar, as a teacher, institution-builder, and artist, has also contributed greatly to the development of cultural life in the country. El Mestikawy's international career demonstrated the breadth and rigour of a practice grounded in the Arab artistic tradition. The exhibition is also a tribute to El Mestikawy, who passed away in April 2024, and a celebration of his rich and multi-layered practice.
