The director of the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris said the institute would like to hold a number of exhibitions here during the Doha, Arab Capital of Culture 2010 festival. Badr Eddine Arodaky, director of the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris, France, told The Peninsula the Institut de Monde Arabe works on many Arabic-themed exhibits and it would be good to bring those exhibits and showcase them here. Arodaky recently met with officials from the Ministry of Culture, Art and Heritage and the members of the organising committee of the Doha, Arab Capital of Culture 2010 festival to introduce the number of exhibits they plan to have here. “I came here for a visit to strengthen the ties of our Institut with the Qatari government, especially now since Qatar is celebrating the Capital of Arab Culture 2010 festival… I am also here to present the exhibitions we have at the Institut… I presented them to the Qatari government handling the cultural events and we will let them decide which ones they would like to have and when? And then they can pick which ones they want for us to bring here,” said Arodaky. According to him, this will be an exchange of culture, an exchange of exhibition programmes as they are inviting artists from Qatar to host exhibits at the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris. One of the exhibits they plan to bring here is the “Orient Hermès,” which will showcase the decorations that Leïla Menchari, creative director, has created for Hermès. “Leïla Menchari is known in the whole world for her works for more than 30 years… Each season at Hermès, she decorates the windows for the public to discover the new creations at Hermès,” said Arodaky. Eight of the conceptualized decors of Menchari – strongly inspired by the Orient, Middle Eastern and Arabic designs – will be exhibited for the first time from March 19 to June 6 at the Institut du Monde Arabe. Her works will be exhibited in the 1200-square-meter Médina of the Institut du Monde Arabe. Eight of the works of Menchari during her entire career, will be presented there. During the exhibit, craftsmen from various Arab countries, particularly from Tunisia and Morocco, will hold workshops and present how to work with leather, glass, and stucco, among others. A catalogue of 120 pages will be published for the occasion. Reproductions with the format of each exposed decoration will be also accessible to the public. “The Doha, Capital of Arab Culture festival will showcase the best of Arab culture… not just Qatar’s, so this will be a good exhibit to bring here,” said Arodaky. http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=Local_News&subsection=Qatar+News&month=February2010&file=Local_News2010021862841.xml

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