DOHA – KATARA: The Cultural Village Foundation, Katara, inaugurated the exhibition “Shaping the Trace: Evolution of Artistic Practice” on Thursday, October 15, 2026, featuring works by Portuguese artist Cristina Alves, in collaboration with the Embassy of the Republic of Portugal in Qatar.
The opening was attended by Katara General Manager Professor Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al-Sulaiti, along with several ambassadors, representatives of diplomatic missions, artists and art enthusiasts.
The exhibition features 54 artworks selected from different stages of Alves’s creative journey, tracing the evolution of her visual language and artistic techniques over time. The collection ranges from her early explorations in sculpture and artistic composition to large-scale wall works and richly textured sculptural forms.
Using a diverse range of natural and recycled materials, the artist explores the relationship between material, form and memory. Her works reflect the transformation of her artistic practice and the development of her distinctive creative identity, which she calls Orissascape.
Alves incorporates a variety of materials and media, including natural fibres, recycled fabrics, ropes, shells, stones, metal elements and pigments. Through these materials, she creates compositions that bring organic elements and sculptural structures together, highlighting natural details, the marks of time and the transformations objects undergo.
The artworks explore themes of identity, human memory and nature. Some compositions draw inspiration from the sea and coastal communities, while others examine concepts of balance, liberation, change and continuity. The exhibition demonstrates how everyday and discarded materials can be transformed into new artistic expressions with fresh visual appeal and meanings beyond their original functions.
The exhibition reflects ongoing cultural cooperation between Katara and the Portuguese Embassy in Qatar, promoting artistic and cultural exchange while offering visitors an opportunity to discover international artistic experiences and contemporary approaches to visual art.
The exhibition is open to the public from October 15 to 28, 2026, in Hall 2, Building 47, Katara, from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm.
Katara Opens Portuguese Artist’s Exhibition Exploring Artistic Evolution
