Luc Tuymans: Intolerance

Intolerance is the first solo show of the works of Luc Tuymans in the Gulf region. Curated by Lynne Cooke, the exhibition is a comprehensive survey that spans some thirty years and speaks to certain abiding preoccupations the artist has long mined in counterpoint with a rapidly changing world. Well aware from the outset of his career that painting as an art-form was widely considered in crisis, Tuymans adopted a contrasting stance. Painting became for him a vehicle through which the most urgent and volatile issues, whether relating to history, identity, nationalism and belief, or to headline social and political events could be opened up to a nuanced debate. Among the 100 paintings on display in the 4,000 sqm Al Riwaq gallery are six new wall paintings reproducing original works that he could not bring to Doha. These paintings are ephemeral and will be destroyed after the exhibition closes.

I was the lead designer for this exhibition and worked closely with the artist to produce the scenography. Some of the challenges and highlights were exhibiting massive 6 meter wide canvases in a circular room, creating two custom background colors with the artist, and designing bespoke cases for sensitive artworks.