Five artists send message of hope through vibrant murals

Qatar Museums and Abu Issa Holding recently initiated a project to create murals for the Umm Slal Mohammed quarantine compound. The artworks are intended to uplift the spirit of those residing and working at the compound, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Artists Muna Al Bader, Huda Basahal, Alanoud Al Ghamdi, Nada Khozestani and Dimitrije Bugarski volunteered their time to paint murals that bring life and colour to walls within the compound.

Abdulrahman Al Ishaq, Director of Public Art, Qatar Museums, said: “Qatar Museums would like to express our sincere gratitude to the artists who generously gave of their time and talent to lift everyone’s spirts during an extremely challenging time. It was difficult for the artists to source material and find a space to create their artwork during the early days of the lockdown which meant they went out of their way to show their solidarity. Public art contributes to Qatar’s thriving cultural landscape, and we are honoured to have partnered with Abu Issa Holding to make this initiative possible and to offer a message of hope through art.”

Al Ghamdi said: “My mural depicts the word ‘hope’ in geometric letters and a fusion of positive colours. During a global pandemic, it’s sometimes hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Since the artwork is on the wall outside an examination room, I wanted to motivate patients recovering from COVID-19 by bringing some optimism to their lives and emphasising that there’s always hope.”

Qatar Museums is committed to enriching the lives of the wider community through public art that reflects societal issues of global relevance. The museum recently held the Jedariart public art initiative, a month-long programme in which 18 locally-based artists added meaning to shared urban spaces through carefully curated murals and street art at various designated locations across Doha.

GO: Visit https://www.qm.org.qa/en/area/public-art for more information about Qatar Museums and its public art initiatives.