Doha: Since ancient times, coinage has played a significant role not only in the socio-economic aspect of civilisations as an instrument of business and trade but also in reflecting pivotal moments in a nation’s history.
Coin denominations have been an invaluable source of facts such as in confirming dates and rulers, documenting specific events, and showing how structures actually appeared at a particular time in the past.
“When we talk about archaeology and anthropology, experts do need these coins in order to know more about civilisations because coins hold specific meanings in each civilisation. Coins reflect the social and industrial status as well as the rulers. They are a factual artefact for each civilisation; that’s the real value of coinage,” Qatar-based Syrian designer and artist Bachir Mohamad told The Peninsula.
Mohamad, who has a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts and a Master’s degree in Archaeology of Arab and Islamic World, has crafted a special collection of coins which reflect significant historical moments in Qatar tracing its rulers, their achievements and important events from 1851 to the present.
Through his collection, the artist imagines and demonstrates how the coins would appear had the country used them like in the Islamic caliphates of the past. The project also aims at providing informational value and dimension to revive the legacy of historical leading coins in the Arab and Islamic world.
The artist had spent two years to complete a series of nine coins which are being showcased to the public for the first time at a group exhibition called “Process” which is presented at Katara Art Center by Al Markhiya Gallery, the country’s oldest privately owned art gallery.
Syrian artist and designer Bachir Mohamad.
“It took me around two years to finish this collection. I had to do a very detailed research about each of the rulers in order to understand the period when they were ruling and what were the achievements during their period,” explained Mohamad, adding each of the leaders was unique.
“If these coins were to be real, there would be more than 10 coins for each of these rulers because they have plenty of achievements during their time, but I chose what I found most interesting. I also considered other aspects such as how to reflect them in the design, production and minting of the coins,” he noted.
The coins were minted using metals traditionally used in the Islamic caliphates. The collection comprises gold coins (dinar), silver coins (dirham) and bronze coins (fils).
On the front side of the coin is the portraiture of the ruler and his name and title written in Thuluth calligraphy, while the reverse side of the coin features phrases and images emblematic of the highlight of achievements during the period of each of the rulers. Portraits of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Father Amir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and other rulers of Qatar are featured in the collection.
Among the images depicted on the coins are the National Museum of Qatar, Qatar Airways, Qatar University, oil well, desert, sea, oryx, dhow, falcon, and a knight riding on an Arabian horse in the Qatari desert.
Initially, the artist made eight coins representing the eight rulers for the exhibition which was originally slated open in March but was postponed due to COVID-19 outbreak. The pandemic, however, inspired the creation of a ninth coin.
“While I was sitting home in quarantine for six months, I worked on the last piece where I reflected on the two major situations Qatar is facing, one is the blockade which I depicted with the image of the 5/6 arches and the other is COVID-19 which I expressed as a salute to the frontline heroes. Also there’s an Arabic phrase which when translated in English means ‘We will be victorious’, which implies whatever the problem we have now, everything will be okay,” he said.
Despite the challenges he faced in the long process of creating the collection from research to deciding on the portraits to be used to the production and minting process, the artist was satisfied with the experience saying he found working on the collection really interesting since it was closely related to his field.
“I studied design and art and I have a Master’s degree in Archaeology, and if you look at these three fields you know that coin is an artefact that connects these fields since coin has social, historical, artistic and archeological values,” he said.
An art lover since he was young, Mohamad has presented solo exhibitions as well as participated in group shows, the latest of which is “Process” where he is showcasing the coin collection.
“In each exhibition I try to give something new and different which is reflecting applied and fine art together,” he stressed.
On view until November 6 at Al Markhiya Gallery at Katara Art Centre, the “Process” exhibition is a fascinating look into the creative process of five unique artists in producing a diverse array of art pieces using different media to bring to light crucial concepts that matter.
Other artists whose works are on display at the exhibition are Qatari cartoonist and animation artist Abdulaziz Yousef, Tunisian street artist and designer Vajo, and multidisciplinary Qatari artists and designers Maryam Al Semaitt and Nawar Al Mutlaq.