The ‘calligraffiti’ on the walls of the Gate Mall’s parking area.
Visitors to the Gate Mall are in for a treat: street art in its parking area.
The “Calligraffiti” project is an initiative between the Gate Mall and Virginia Commonwealth University of Qatar (VCUQ), and is supported by the Qatar Museum Authority (QMA).
The Gate Mall had decided to initiate this project by inviting VCUQ students from the graphic design department to create calligraffiti illustrations on the walls of its parking space in its basement.
The project was directed and supervised by French artist El Seed.
El Seed, of Tunisian origin, introduced the Arabic calligraffiti art scene and created the new artistic trend.
One of his most recent and popular works in Doha were the calligraffiti frescos at Salwa Road tunnels, which were sponsored by the QMA.
The judging panel chose three works out of the many presented by the students.
El Seed said that he was impressed with the quality of the work produced by students.
This project taught students new skills in spray painting and encouraged them to develop their own style. The students showed talent and creativity in their works, which had messages for shoppers coming to the mall, including “Welcome”, “Park the car”, “Old is Gold”, and “Illusion versus Reality”.
Gate Mall marketing representative Isabella Ibrahim said: “We are very happy to conclude this project with VCUQ students and look forward to organising similar successful projects in the future.”
“We strongly believe that the Gate Mall is more than just a luxury shopping and business destination. It aspires to have a considerable role in promoting education, culture and art in Qatar,” she added. “We have organised many art galleries, photography exhibitions, fashion shows, international sports events as well as children’s entertainment events in the past.
“We will continue this role as our support to the community we work in and our commitment to the Qatar’s National Vision 2030.”
