- Art
- Spring/Summer 2026
- April
Alla Abdunabi
Artist Alla Abdunabi shares her experience of the Artists Intensive Study Programme at the Fire Station in Doha and how living in the city is inspiring a new body of work
I’m a British-Libyan sculptural artist and I’ve been living in the UAE for quite some time – but I hadn’t been to Qatar before taking part in the Fire Station Artists Intensive Study Programme (AISP). I work between 2D and 3D, with a very research-based practice and a strong relationship with materials, both conventional and unconventional. I’m particularly interested in how objects are markers of a specific time and how they move across geographies. It’s a reflection of my own life; my relationship with the Global North and Global South and my movement between the two.
I arrived in Doha in October last year. The residency lasts nine months and then we return in October for the AISP exhibition during Qatar Creates. I’m currently working on a few different projects that are inspired by being here.
Coming to Qatar and seeing Souq Waqif and the Al Dosari Zoo and Game Reserve, for example, I realised that taxidermy is common practice here and exists in public spaces outside of the museum frameworks we’re perhaps used to seeing it in. I’ve been exploring the relationship between objects and animals, and how the body is preserved through inflating its skin.
As I have an intuitive process in my practice, the way the AISP is structured within a loose framework that allows flexibility really fits with how I work. It's also been incredible to have so many different voices – both from the cohort of artists taking part and from the external educators, artists and curators who come each week to do workshops, lectures and studio visits. Artistic practice is communal – it's always a conversation. The Fire Station and its facilities allow for so much of that.
What I really love about being in Doha is the way of navigating the city. Here, I'm able to walk and discover things coincidentally. That's created a beautiful relationship between what's happening in my studio space and what's happening outside. I bought a bike that allows me to slow down and interact with the city in a personal way – and a lot of the materials I work with come from things I find. I have used drywall from a construction site and some beautiful frames from an old shop. Having a close relationship with the people, shops and souqs in Doha, and bringing the outside world into the studio space to become a part of my work, has been an incredible opportunity.
When I arrived in Qatar with the other AISP artists, we noticed that there was a growing art scene and we wanted to try to find other communities that exist here and build relationships with other artists working in Doha. The opening of Gubgub Studios – a grassroots studio space in an old warehouse in Doha’s Industrial Area – really helped us to find that community.
I’ve built such beautiful relationships during this residency – and it’s taught me so much about the importance of programmes that encourage exchange between artists from such different places.
The AISP is an annual nine-month programme at the Fire Station, open to artists of all nationalities between the ages of 20 and 35. Artists are invited to apply through an annual open call, announced in spring each year.
Cover image: Alla Abdunabi in her studio at Fire Station. Photo: Hamad Al Fahyani
