Msheireb Museums, the cultural and tourist destination at Msheireb Downtown Doha, has joined hands with Naufar, the sanctuaryfor wellness and treatment of substance use and related behavioral disorders, to host an art exhibition titled “Recovery Road” to mark the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking observed annually on June 26.
Taking place at Bin Jelmood House Lower Gallery, the art exhibition sheds light on the substance use disorder illness. It raises awareness about addiction and mental health, and the reasons people develop addiction – expressed through creative, human, cultural and artistic language.
The exhibition also endeavors to fight the stigma and misconceptions of addiction and mental health in the Qatari community through portraits and paintings created by patients during their Expressive Art therapy sessions. In addition, the “Recovery Road” Exhibition provides the community with an opportunity to engage in the conversation around mental health and addiction.
This exhibition is a part of a series of future collaborations and engagements with Naufar on topics related to substance use and stigma. Msheireb Properties pays special attention to the mental and psychological health of the community, and has also developed the Zulal Wellness Resort, the biggest and first of its kind in Qatar that follows a retreat that allows people to rebalance and rejuvenate in body, mind and spirit.
Mr Fahad AlTurky, Exhibitions Manager at Msheireb Museums said: “We are delighted to host the “Recovery Exhibition” that sheds the light on an important concern to humanity – addiction and mental health. We believe that art is an important and effective medium to convey awareness messages and change the perceptions of people positively. We are confident that our collaboration with Naufar will succeed in accomplishing our objectives and enable our visitors to interact and engage on this important subject. This is part of our continuous collaborations with the national entities to raise awareness on matters that are relevant to our community”.
Dr. Khalifa Al Kuwari, Assistant Director General at Naufar, praised the Msheireb Museums for their ongoing efforts to address humanity and societal issues that affect the Qatari community. As he said, substance use disorder is a serious health condition that can affect anyone, , but it’s rarely discussed as a mental health condition. When we understand the root causes behind substance use disorder, we can encourage many individuals and their families to seek help early in their lives. Educating and enlightening the community about the challenge that many families are facing can’t be accomplished by one entity by itself, but it can be accomplished when everyone works together. He continued, “As community members, we all have a duty to support them and their families through overcoming social obstacles by recognizing it is time to make treatment and recovery a reality for those who need it, and we hope it starts today.”
The art exhibition will feature a collection of 40 diverse paintings mostly on canvas, and some on paper and glass that tell the stories of those impacted by addiction as well as their recovery. These are depicted in three distinct sections including Reasons behind addiction, During the treatment and After recovery.
Allowing the visitors to interact with the theme, the Tree of Hope or the Wall of Hope will be set up, enabling them to leave a message of inspiration for individuals who were impacted by addiction.
The “Recovery Road” will be open during the working hours of the Museums, from Monday through Saturday.
