DOHA: The ongoing blockade has energised people in Qatar to come together for the country to further flourish.

This is the message Qatari political ARToonist Ghada Al Khater wants to convey through the “Blockade: Energy Drink” artwork she created during her residency at Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris, one of the biggest and most important art residencies in the world.

The Andy Warhol-inspired series, which is one of the two she made in varying colour formats, is now on display at her solo exhibition which opened on Tuesday at the Doha Fire Station. The work, she said, was meant to be a satire, delving into the lighter side of the blockade.

“It was a play on the energy drink Powerade. I thought that the blockade has given people energy to be together  to create for Qatar to be more independent, grow  and flourish and the energy drink is symbolic of that,” Al Khater explained to reporters at the opening of the show.

As to the physical appearance of the work, she said, it actually references to work of the late American artist Andy Warhol, one of the leading figures in pop art.

Asked on people’s response to the work when it was displayed at her open studio night in Paris, she said; “It was very interesting because it was a way for us to show and talk about Qatar and the blockade which they had a vague idea of. It was a chance to talk about my country and my people, what we do, women in the workforce.”

The series is one of artworks Al Khater created during her three-month Paris residency, which is an extension of QM’s Fire Station: Artist in Residence programme in Doha.

During her residency, she also produced a series comprising ten artworks “that challenge the idea of music in mainstream culture with the subliminal message of politics and how I can introduce Qatar and the blockade to the mainstream field.”

Khalifa Al Obaidly, Director of the Fire Station, said: “I have watched Ghada’s work with great interest and delight. Her pieces are smart and funny, resonating with the people’s minds by encapsulating so much of what we want to say in striking imagery. I invite the public to see her latest satirical work which continues to showcase her uncanny ability to find humour in irrationality.”

Ghada is the fourth Qatari artist to work in Paris through QM’s residency initiative, following three spectacular showings from Ebtisam Al Saffar, Nasser Al Attiya and Abdulla Al Kuwari who also hosted open studios at the Cité Internationale des Arts and the Doha Fire Station.

A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University Qatar with a BFA in Graphic Design, Ghada tackles subjects of freedom of speech and fake news, both topics which have come to prominence since the diplomatic and economic blockade on Qatar. Two of her ARToons “Tamim Kg” and “Aljazeera” have gained recognition and resonance throughout social media in Qatar last year. Ghada also tackles Middle Eastern issues more broadly, including the Palestinian cause.