Doha: Bright, colourful and fun, for the first time in the Mena region, Qatar Museums (QM) brings “POW! WOW!,” a week-long international mural festival.
Sight-see the artworks of 12 local, regional and international artists around Al Sadd Metro Station from November 25 to December 1.
Arch. Abdulrahman Ahmad Al Ishaq, QM Director of Public Art said: “Qatar’s street art scene has gained momentum in recent years through several ongoing Qatar Museums’ initiatives that aim to take art beyond four walls and make it accessible to everyone. We are excited to be the exclusive regional host of the international POW! WOW! festival and to support a global network of artists whose artworks will add vibrancy to the urban walls at Al Sadd Metro Station – a busy and heavily pedestrianised area in the heart of Doha. “
“The community is invited to visit POW! WOW! for a chance to experience local and international artists adorning Doha’s urban walls with colourful and thought-provoking murals,” Al Ishaq added.
Participating artists from Qatar include Mubarak Al Malik, Huda Basahal, Alanoud Al Ghamdi; Myneandyours (Iraq), Bufifty (Kuwait), RexChouk (Saudi Arabia), Said Dokins (Mexico), Nardstar (South Africa), Said Kinos (Netherlands); Douglas de Castro (Brazil); and USA: Max Sansing and Kim Sielbeck.
Launched in 2009, POW! WOW! was founded by artist, illustrator, and curator Jasper Wong in Hong Kong. The first edition of the said festival was held in Honolulu, Hawaii in 2010. Overtime, it has since been exhibited in 17 cities worldwide including California, Massachusetts, Washington DC, South Korea, The Netherlands, and Ohio. It aimed for city beautification and community building.
Two regional street art collectives were each invited to nominate an artist for the festival line up. Street artist Bufifty is part of Jedareyat, a Kuwaiti street art collective established in 2016. Jedareyat provides an outlet for youth to express their creativity on urban walls. Participating artist RexChouk represents Dhad, a street art collective founded in 2013 when the street art scene was first emerging in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East.
POW! WOW! has grown into a global network of artists, hosting exhibitions, lecture series, mural projects, concerts, and live art installations across the globe. The Doha edition of POW! WOW! is sponsored by Qatar Airways, the Supervisory Committee of Beautification of Roads and Public Places, Qatar Rail (location partner), JW Marriot (hotel partner) and Jotun (official paint sponsor).
Alongside the festival, participating POW! WOW! artists will also add murals to the pool-side wall at the JW Marriot Hotel and the basketball court at Lusail Crescent Park. In celebration of the continued cultural legacy of Qatar-USA 2021 Year of Culture, and in partnership with U.S. Embassy in Doha, Katara and QM, artist Jason Keam will paint Katara Building 47.
Meanwhile, QM Culture Pass Plus and Culture Pass Family members are invited to attend an exclusive walking tour of POW! WOW! on Saturday, November 27 from 4pm to 5pm at Al Sadd Metro Station.
POW! WOW! is open to the public from 10am to 5pm, for more information, please visit www.qm.org.qa.
