I took this shot recently while waiting for a flight at Hamad International Airport, Doha. Located in the northern node of Qatar’s main airport, near Concourse E, is this huge sculpture resembling a wooden marionette. Titled Small Lie, the sculpture was created by American artist and designer Brian Donnelly, known professionally as KAWS. The figure is made from Afrormosia wood, weighs 15 tonnes and stands almost 10 metres tall.
The inspiration behind Small Lie is said to come from the artist’s relationship to wooden toys when growing up and the warm sensation of wood grain. Expanding on this, he created an oversized sculpture that plays with an emotional tension between strength and kindness. Small Lie makes the observer feel small but also want to protect and console it. It is the first exhibition of one of KAWS’s works at an airport.
