Shua'a Ali Muftah is an artist from the small peninsula of Qatar. Throughout her life, Muftah has moved between many countries
and attributes a sense of artistic identity
to having so many international influences.

Her methods are self-taught, and her style influenced
by the abstract expressionists, which manifests
in the use of clashing colours and experimental textures.

Currently based in Doha, Muftah’s work is both
an expression of her imagination and also a way
of questioning the status quo, particularly when it comes to the ordeals of women in the cultures in which she lives. Her works formed from discarded materials and objects.

“In my current collection my focus has shifted
into conveying the complex and striking beauty of women and capturing moments of emotional honesty,
while highlighting their boldness and strengths
through energetic and explosive brushstrokes
and colours.”

The sculptural works that form part of the Cluster Crafts collection are like three-dimensional collages
made of collected materials. She explains
that the different layers are also aimed at accentuating the concept of fragmented experiences and how
they add up to build a picture of an individual life.
The components of any single piece are juxtaposed
and balanced precariously. Various textures come together to create dialogue or harmony
between the elements

“I use simple and discarded construction materials a
s symbols of both modernisation, cultural identity,
and architectural progression,” explains Muftah.
“I particularly like materials that are juxtaposed
together to create a contrasting visual interest.”

These cairn-like stacks are also reminiscent of the piles
of pebbles that are used to mark the dirt roads that run through the deserts where Muftah lives.

“I am inspired by my local environment,
mainly the desert and the sea and the sun.”

French artist and sculptor Matthieu Gicquel uses different material masses to make pieces
that resemble natural rock formations.

Working mainly with glass, Gicquel intends to reveal
the textures of the glass faces that are left behind
by the tools used to shape, work and mould the forms.

Gicquel is influenced by the Japanese concept
of Wabi-Sabi, which highlights the beauty
in imperfection. He attempts to create glass work
that is rough in finish, closer to the glass in workshops
than to the glass on the shelves of shops,
still embodying an element of rawness.

At the beginning of his relationship with glass as an artistic
material, Gicquel worked only with glass-blowing techniques.
It was only later that he discovered ways of also working
with glass in the cold: techniques like fusing.

“When I started to work with it, I understood
that it was very difficult to tame,” he explains.
“It's this daily challenge to succeed in controlling
the material and to look for the right technical
solutions that I like.”

The pieces that are included in the Cluster Crafts online exhibition and store are from two collections, Relief and Mineral, that explore the “Yuugen” texture,
which took Gicquel over a year to develop.

Yuugen, Gicquel explains, captures a sense of elegance and simple beauty. With this original texture,
the glass designer proposes another means of creating art with glass, a new texture that opens a door to mystery.