The second edition of The New York Times 'Art for Tomorrow' conference, organized under the patronage of Qatar Museums (QM) Chairperson Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, concluded today at the W Doha Hotel & Residences. With an overall theme of 'Technology, Creativity and the City,' the conference sought to explore the complex relationships between the digital world and the creative process, the nature of creativity and its impact on developing cities or even nations, and whether physical institutions housing art have a role to play in the era of digitization.  

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This year, the influential list of speakers and participants included QM chairperson Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani; artists Marina Abramović and Jeff Koons; architects Koray Duman and William Lim; Art Basel Global Director Marc Spiegler; His Excellency Akbar Al Baker, group CEO of Qatar Airways; Wim Pijbes, General Director of the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam; and Jean Nouvel, founder of Ateliers Jean Nouvel.

"We're trying to bring contemporary artists here, to inspire young artists to see what's happening around the world, and to be inspired […] That's what we've tried to do and will continue to do, with complete respect to our tradition," says Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, QM Chairperson.

"We need art in the cities. In the cities that pollute. In the cities that have too much noise. We have to take experience from nature and transmit it into the cities. I always believe that the function of art is the function of a bridge; to bridge different people from different social backgrounds, different religious beliefs, different races. But it's also about communication between the physical world and spiritual world. Or just simply between two human beings," says Marina Abramović, in a video she presented during the conference.

An exciting addition to the conference was The Art Lab, a pop-up art gallery on the entire 29th floor of W Doha Hotel & Residences. Works from His Royal Highness Prince Nikolaos of Greece and Denmark, Pia MYrvoLD, Androulla Michael, Google Cultural Institute, Laurence Winram, Omar Khalifa, Sheikh Hassan Al Thani and Ali Hossaini were on display.

"W Doha stands shoulder to shoulder with HE Sheikha Al Mayassa, as well as Qatar Museums, in not only believing that arts and culture are the heart of any civilization, but in the importance of fostering such creativity in the ongoing development of the city of Doha," says Safak Guvenc, Area Manager Qatar and Oman, Starwood Hotels & Resort and General Manager of W Doha. He went on, "W Doha is delighted to host again on its second year such a distinguished group of thought leaders, and to be part of the meaningful progress in how art is evolving and how it will shape our futures, both locally and internationally."

"The Google Cultural Institute and its partners are putting the world's cultural treasures at the fingertips of any citizen of the world and are building tools that allow the cultural sector to share more of its diverse heritage online. We are happy and excited to be able to participate in The New York Times 'Art for Tomorrow' conference in W Doha. This was a great opportunity to share ideas and discuss the future of culture and digital," says Giorgia Abeltino, Director, Public Policy Google Cultural Institute.

The host sponsors are Jaidah Holdings and W Doha Hotel & Residences. Sotheby's and QNB are the headline sponsors for the 'Art for Tomorrow' Conference. Qatar Tourism Authority is the destination sponsor and Qatar Airways is the official airline partner.

Images can be downloaded from this link.

For further information, please visit: http://www.whoteldoha.com/ or visit W Doha on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram . Book at whoteldoha.com or call +974-44535343.   

SOURCE W Doha