It was not the difficult weather of the desert that ruined Richard Serra's beautiful work, but the lack of sensitivity of human beings. Despite being located in a difficult position, in the middle of the desert of western Qatar, the work has been deliberately vandalized by some visitors, disrespectful of the solemnity of the sculpture and the site.
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Created in 2014 by the famous land artist Richard Serra, the work is located on a plateau in the Brouq Nature Reserve, about 60 kilometres from Doha, the capital of Qatar. The work is composed of four huge steel monoliths of 54/48 meters, which according to the inclination vary in height between 14, 7 and 16.7 meters. An installation that was commissioned by the Qatar Museums Authority, on the occasion of the first retrospective of Serra in the Middle East, which took place the same year.
Abdullatif Al Jasmi, director of "cultural heritage protection department" as part of Qatar Museums Authority said "Vandalism of any kind for our public art does not only affect the enjoyment of the work by the community but also damages the cultural heritage of Qatar. It is important that people understand the social impact of damaging works of art and that they know they can receive huge fines, as well as having to pay for restoration works. "
To emphasize the discouragement on this type of vandalism act, the director of the public art department of the Qatar Museum, Abdulrahman al-Ishaq, stated: "We ask the community to help us ensure that all public works of art are cured and protected, preserving them for the enjoyment of current generations and future. Our public art is a fundamental part of Qatar's cultural life, for the benefit of the nation and its people, both socially and economically. "
Cover image: Richard Serra, East-West / West-East, located in the desert of western Qatar.