Qatar Museums (QM) has taken the third edition of “World Wide Walls: Doha” deeper into the city’s neighbourhoods, bringing unique cultural experiences closer to communities.
Organised under the QM’s Public Art programme, this street-art festival is unfolding at Al Aziziyah area, where two Qataris and 12 international artists are transforming building facades into public art pieces.
Speaking to *Gulf Times on the sidelines of a press preview yesterday, QM senior public art planning specialist Dimitrije Bugarski said the team worked directly with private building owners instead of one stakeholder, a process that required careful co-ordination and community engagement.
“Usually, if you notice, most cultural content happens around the coastal line,” he said. “We wanted to go more into the city, into the fabric, and bring something to the people and neighbourhoods who lack this kind of content.”
“We want to enrich their space visually and aesthetically so they can enjoy it within their own grounds, instead of having to go far from home to see something of this sort,” Bugarski said.
He added that the selection of artists this year reflects the QM’s ongoing effort to broaden representation and deepen international collaboration.
“We always aim to have artists from each continent, to bring as much diversity as we can. We managed to do that this time as well,” Bugarski said.
He noted that the lineup includes participants from Chile and Argentina, both part of Qatar’s Years of Culture engagements, alongside artists from festivals that the QM has partnered with, such as Hawaii Walls, Japan Walls and HK Walls in Hong Kong.
According to Bugarski, such initiatives and partnerships also create what he describes as a global artist exchange that enriches both local talent and Doha’s cultural scene.
Among the participating artists is American muralist Roxy Ortiz, who works under the name Wooden Wave alongside her husband, Matt.
Their mural at Al Aziziyah takes the form of a falcon-shaped dwelling, which she said is a visual narrative that links together Qatari heritage, nature, and sustainability.
“We incorporated the Bedouin tent structure with the souq market,” Ortiz said, noting that the composition layers symbolic elements: young falcons perched on stands, geometric motifs drawn from local architecture, and a mangrove tree forming the structure of the falcon’s head, a tribute to Qatar’s coastal ecosystems.
The artist said one of the most striking features is the falcon’s ‘eyelid,’ depicted as solar panels.
“It has something to do with technology and sustainability, using the resources here,” she added. “There’s a lot of beautiful sunshine, so you can use that for energy.”
Australian mural artist Kitt Bennett said his piece explores humanity’s evolving relationship with technology, from smartphones to artificial intelligence (AI), visualising how deeply intertwined daily life has become with digital tools.
“One of the main themes is how we as humans and our technology... are becoming more and more merged,” he said. “The rise of AI is super interesting right now, and usually as an artist, if you think about something (of its) a lot, it comes out in your art.”
Bennett pointed out that street art’s power lies in its visibility and vulnerability.
“It’s a very powerful place to be, a super vulnerable place, to put your stuff in the public, but I love doing it, even though it’s exhausting,” he said.