Her Highness Attends the Inauguration of art installation ‘Come Together’ AT QF

Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation, inaugurated the newest addition to Qatar Foundation’s public art collection titled, Come Together, at an event celebrating the art installation.

Also, in attendance at the event was Her Excellency Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, Vice Chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation (QF), various ministers and delegates, alongside Qatar legacy ambassadors and former Qatari footballers Ahmed Khalil, Mubarak Mustafa, Khalid Salman, Adel Khamis, and Australian football legend Tim Cahill, and various local and international artists, who also saw QF’s Qatar Academy Doha student choir perform “Arhbo” – a single from the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ Official Soundtrack.

The colorful artwork “Come Together” is located near the Education City stadium, and is designed by leading South Korean artist Choi Jeong Hwa. The artist’s unique style, which garnered him internationally acclaim, is reflected in Come Together which playfully combines materials from everyday life. The artwork is made up of workers’ helmets, mirror balls, and traditional Qatari found objects. The iconic stainless-steel installation resembles a dandelion spore – a visual metaphor representing the passion and joy of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ spectators in Qatar spreading all over the world. As indicated by the title, Come Together pays homage to all those in Qatar who worked to realize the dream of hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup™ both native and foreign. 

“Come Together is about co-existence and symbiosis. FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ is a festival on a global stage, and a festival of this scale can’t be carried out alone. Therefore, this art piece is a declaration of co-existence, and of the symbiosis within our community. Co-existence and symbiosis presuppose the realization that we are all connected to each other,” Hwa said.

Describing the shape of the art piece, he said: “The shape of Come Together is inspired from the vitality and determination of survival of the dandelion, which is a weed, and the radiation of its seeds that fly far away in the wind, and then bloom.”  

The celebration was held at the site of the newly installed artwork, next to Khalifa Avenue, and thousands of football fans attending the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ will soon see Come Together for themselves as they attend matches at the nearby Education City Stadium. Guests at the event also joined a public art tour as part of Art Trail, a QF initiative that provides guided tours of artworks around Education City.

By commissioning Come Together, QF is continuing to use public art to reflect Qatar’s cultural heritage, while also recognizing and commemorating workers who have made an essential contribution to Qatar’s hosting of the first FIFA World Cup™ in the Middle East and the Arab world, ensuring their role is acknowledged in a prominent and lasting way with the installation remaining in place after the tournament.

“For us at QF, art is a tool for social improvement. It is a vehicle that not just sparks creativity, but also promotes culture and heritage, while also advocates for innovation, dialogue and exchange – elements recognized as important for the development of society,” said Layla Bacha, Project Manager, Art Portfolio, at Qatar Foundation. “Art can function as a bridge and connector between communities, interest groups disciplines, and between academia and professional work, and spearhead a truly multidisciplinary and future-focused thought leadership in the arts.”