Art for Peace: promoting dialogue in the face of global tensions

On one wall hung stark red watermelons against a graphite grey background. Astride a pedestal rests a dreamlike white sculpture with swoops and twists that give a touch of lightness to its solidity. On the other wall a female figure with joint hands and gold wings echoed the bronze bird taking flight in the middle of the room.

These are merely glimpses of the varied artworks proudly displayed in the spaces of the Alhosh Gallery in The Pearl, Doha, Qatar, from the 18th to the 20th of January 2026.

The exhibition, entitled ‘Art for Peace’ had the stated aim of being a platform whence art may become a universal language, transcending borders, beliefs, and ideologies.

In line with this promise, the gallery featured a number of artists and artworks issued from all over the world.

This message gains in significance in light of global events. Regimes being toppled by foreign intervention in Latin America, revolts and their repressions in Iran, and armed conflict levels being the highest since the Second World War, according to United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres. Within the context of such turmoil, art as a body and voice for the stories of those affected by conflict is even more relevant, and its potential as a tool to make those silenced be heard may need to be exploited.

Misha Milovanovich, contributing to a thought-provoking environment with her abstract art, is a Serbian artist, currently based in London, and is the mind behind the white sculpture mentioned above. Her art is greatly influenced by her childhood on a family farm in Serbia, which was characterised by learning plant medicine and Old Slavic mythology with her grandmother. Within the context of the exhibition, the powerful presence of nature in her sculptures was harnessed as a conduit for expressing healing and peace.

Exemplifying the other end of the dichotomy put forward through the exhibition – conflict – are a series of photographs by Belal Al Hams which captured scenes from Gaza, telling stories of children growing up amongst the rubble of war. Al Hams is a Palestinian journalist and visual storyteller who documents human resistance and fights to give a voice to silenced peoples under war and siege. His work acts as a testament to the everlasting tensions within the world, which Art for Peace attempts to denounce.

Nonetheless, the defining characteristic of the exhibition was the variety. Not only in artists but also in art mediums represented. Paintings, sculptures, and photographs hung prominently on the walls alongside performances of poetry and music.

Amongst the authors of these performances were artists like Alessio Mastrodonato, an Italian pianist, composer, conductor, and music educator. He took a seat at the piano near the beginning of the event, a hush falling on the room as he played the first keys. The melody was described by one of the attendees, an Italian businessman, as “phenomenal”.

Behind the creation of the event is the group Gewurz & Partners Management, headed by Italian CEO Elisabeth Marascalchi, businesswoman, peace advocate, and promoter of cultural diplomacy. The exhibition also benefited from the patronage of the Ministry of Culture of the State of Qatar, through His Excellency Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Hamad bin Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, Minister of Culture. Professor Ibrahim Saleh Al-Naimi, Chairman of the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue (DICD), and the Under Secretary of the Ministry of Education were also patrons of the event. Their support attests to the event’s role in fostering dialogue between faiths, cultures and societies and its cultural value. Meanwhile, the curation of the gallery was carried out by Mohammed Alhamadi who is, amongst other occupations, a curator and artist.

The Art for Peace exhibition had the goal to promote such intercultural interpretation of art. Attending the event were a number of ambassadors, amongst others, bringing a glimmer of hope that this event and others will inspire diplomats and politicians in their attempts at conflict resolution.