Doha’s Hamad International Airport (DOH) is one of the best airports in the world. That’s especially true with the recent expansion, which included The Orchard, the airport’s new indoor tropical garden.
Probably the single most recognizable feature of Doha Hamad Airport is the huge teddy bear in the middle of the departures hall. I’ll take it a step further — I think it might just be one of the single most photographed things at any airport anywhere in the world.
In this post I wanted to briefly talk about that teddy bear, since it’s something that many people probably see, but don’t know anything about.
The backstory of Doha Airport’s teddy bear
The big yellow teddy bear at Doha Hamad Airport is known as “Untitled (Lamp/Bear),” and it was designed by Swiss contemporary artist Urs Fischer. The teddy bear is 23 feet tall and weighs 35,000 pounds, as it’s sculpted from bronze. You really can’t miss this if you’re passing through the airport, since it’s in the middle of the terminal, where all the different concourses connect.
How exactly did this teddy bear, which was created in 2005, end up in the middle of the departures hall at Hamad Airport? Well, the story is that a member of the Qatar royal family purchased this in 2011 at an auction at Christie’s New York, for the sum of $6.8 million.
There are only so many places you can display something of this size, so when the country’s new airport opened in 2014, that’s where it was placed. I suppose this is a great way to show it off, given the number of global travelers passing through the airport.
Only three of these sculptures were ever created, with the other two being privately owned. If the sculpture looks familiar, a blue version of the bear (known as “Blueno”) was on display at Brown University from 2016 to 2020, so maybe some people have seen that.
Is the bear playful or kind of creepy?
There’s no denying that Doha Hamad Airport’s teddy bear is the center of attention in this part of the terminal. What’s interesting is the different takes that people have on it, though I guess that’s the beauty of art — people can have different interpretations.
The teddy bear is described as “a playful piece that humanizes the space around it and reminds travelers of childhood or precious objects from home.” Furthermore, the teddy bear is described as “sitting peacefully inside a lamp.”
The most common observation I hear from travelers about the bear is that it’s kind of creepy. The teddy bear is crouched over, and has a lamp going through its back. It almost looks like the teddy bear is being interrogated under a light.
So while that’s how some people interpret it, that’s not the intent… apparently.
Bottom line
Doha Hamad Airport has an instantly recognizable teddy bear, which so many travelers try to snap pictures with. There’s an interesting backstory to the bear, so I figured it was time to dedicate a post to it, given how many times I’ve mentioned it in passing.
What’s your take on the teddy bear at Doha Hamad Airport?
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