DOHA"S HAMAD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT UNVEILS SECOND GIANT WORK OF ART

Airport artwork doesn't get much bigger than at Doha's Hamad International Airport, which now boasts another giant sculpture to sit alongside its larger than life teddy bear.

The latest addition, SMALL LIE by American artist KAWS, towers above the ground and is a gift from the Qatar Museum as part of its commitment to making art available to all beyond the confines of a gallery.

Airport CEO, Badr Mohammed Al Meer, enthuses: “HIA’s space for public art is truly redefining the passenger experience. 

"SMALL LIE  is a monumental art piece. Our operations team had to dismantle the airport façade at concourse D to handle the crates and we worked on the technical installation for several weeks. 

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"We are preparing to handle 50 million passengers by 2022. The airport is thriving and is committed to giving transit travellers a memorable journey through arts and culture.”

Joining Al Meer at yesterday's inauguration was the artist himself and Qatar Musuem's chief strategic planning officer, Khalid Yousef Al Ibrahim.

Most recently installed at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in the UK, the newly inaugurated SMALL LIE is now located in the North node of HIA, near Concourse E, a strategic location for the benefit of the 30 million passengers transiting through HIA on a yearly basis.

According to the airprt, painter, sculptor, product designer and collector, KAWS is considered one of the most distinctive artists of our time. 



It notes that his influential work connects people across generations with contemporary art and opens up the world of popular culture to young and diverse audiences across the globe.

The artist flew in to Qatar to present his artwork and says that he hopes his work can help "transport passengers into another realm".

“The inspiration behind SMALL LIE comes from my relationship to wooden toys growing up and the warm sensation of wood grain," reveals KAWS.

"Expanding on this, I created an oversize sculpture that plays with an emotional tension of strength and kindness. 

"It is the first time that one of my pieces is exhibited in an airport…the space allows a dialogue with both travellers and the other artworks showcased at HIA.It is a perfect space for SMALL LIE.”   



Artworks on show at HIA comprise a mix of site-specific creations and pieces which have been carefully selected for the airport, something the Qatar gateway feels "transforms the transportation hub into a large-scale gallery filled with breathtaking pieces of art".

These include such the iconic Lamp Bear by Swiss artist Urs Fischer, Oryx statues by Dutch artist Tom Claassen, the Playground by American sculptor Tom Otterness.