Ahmed Al Bahrani’s life long interest in sculpture began in his childhood when he would make solitary discoveries while modeling clay on the riverbanks of his hometown. He later followed his love of art and graduated from the Fine Arts Institute in Baghdad in 1988 and taught sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Baghdad from 1992-1994.
After leaving Iraq in 1994 for political reasons, Al Bahrani’s work became amplified with his sense of estrangement from his geographical foundation and roots, working with specific materials to explore his sense of loss.
Arriving in Qatar in 1999, Al Bharani has been involved in many landmark projects in the country, transforming his medium to address modern-day life and deeper issues in a direct fashion. A collection of his statues, monuments and murals are in situ in cities around the world. Al Bahrani has also completed numerous public art commissions in Iraq, Qatar, and across the Middle East, employing different mediums and materials: painting, printmaking, and reliefs.
Some of Al Bahrani’s most notable works include; ‘The Challenge’, 2015 a series of impressive bronze sculptures depicting larger-than-life hands reaching for the sky created to commemorate the 24th Men’s Handball World Championships in Qatar. The work was commissioned by Qatar Museums, in collaboration with the Qatar 2015 Organising Committee. The imposing piece sits just outside the Lasail Multipurpose Hall. ‘A Message of Peace to the World’, located at the South Node passenger station at Hamad International Airport in Doha. With this unique piece of art, Al Bahrani honours the work of Reach Out To Asia (ROTA), a nonprofit organisation based in Qatar that supports primary and secondary education in under privileged countries throughout Asia.
Most recently, Al Bahrani has specially designed both the 24th Arabian Gulf Cup Trophy and, and a sculpture for the International Anti Corruption Excellence Award in Rwanda for His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. His works have also been exhibited internationally, with presentations in Iraq, Yemen, Beirut, New York and Qatar just to name a few. Albahrani is the co-founder, with architect Hazem Abu Naba’a, of Mimar Gallery in Doha, the city where he currently lives and works.