Qatar Museums (QM) concluded Sunday the World Wide Walls International Mural Festival at the Old Doha Port, Mina District in Doha. The biannual festival of mural arts saw local, regional, and international artists add striking artworks to the walls in and around the Old Doha Port.
In remarks to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Director of Public Art at Qatar Museums Abdulrahman Ahmad Al Ishaq said that they sought through the World Wide Walls program to enrich the lives of residents and visitors in Qatar by holding distinguished cultural initiatives and activities. This is part of QM's contemporary public art programs which embody QM's ambitions and commitment to moving art beyond the four walls of museums and making it a part of the daily lives.
He stated that the second edition, which its activities concluded Sunday, achieved a success similar to that attained in the first edition in 2021, as thousands of members of the community embarked on the unique experience of World Wide Walls.
Al Ishaq noted 13 local, regional, and international artists illuminated the MENA region with inspiring and thought-provoking artistic works.
The World Wide Walls organization has evolved into a global network of artists, hosting gallery shows, lecture series, art and music schools, mural projects, and live art installations across the globe. The festival's impact goes beyond the art created during the event and has been known to bring about a sense of pride and community to the areas it has touched.
This year, 10 international and 3 local artists will have their own station at the Mina District where they will display their work. Participating artists include Noura Al Mansoori (Qatar), Ghada Al-Suwaidi (Qatar), Abdulla Alsallat (Qatar), Kevin Lyons (USA), Ettoja (Lithuania), Caratoes (Hong Kong/Belgium), Moh Awudu (Ghana), Lula Goce (Spain), Adry del Rocio (Mexico), Sofles (Australia), Hood (Oman) and Belal Khaled (Palestine). In partnership with the Years of Culture initiative, WWW has also invited Indonesian artist Herzven to commemorate the Qatar-Indonesia 2023 Year of Culture.
World Wide Walls was founded in 2010 by artist, illustrator, curator and art director, Jasper Wong, in Hong Kong, where the first edition of the week-long mural festival was held. The festival has since exhibited in more than 25 cities worldwide with the purpose of city beautification and community building.
The first edition of the festival in Qatar and in the Mena region took place at the Al Sadd Metro Station in 2021, where 12 local and international artists brought life to Doha walls.
