Qatar Museums and Abu Issa Holding jointly initiated a project to create murals for the Umm Slal Quarantine Compound. The artworks are intended to uplift the spirit of people residing and working inside 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 will bring life and colour to walls inside the compound.
Qatar Museums Director of Public Art Abdulrahman Al Ishaq said it was difficult for the artists to source materials and find a space to create their artwork during the early days of the lockdown.
Qatar Museums would like to express our sincere gratitude to the artists who generously gave their time and talent to lift everyone’s spirits during an extremely challenging time.
He said that public art contributes to Qatar’s thriving cultural landscape, and they are honoured to have partnered with Abu Issa Holding to make the initiative possible, to offer a message of hope through art.
‘Hope’ Mural
Artist Alanoud Al Ghamdi, whose mural depicts the word ‘hope’ in a fusion of geometric letters and positive colours, said that sometimes, it’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel especially during a pandemic. His work was installed on a 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. The museum recently launched the Jedariart public art initiative, a month-long programme featuring 18 locally-based artists and their carefully curated murals and street art at various locations across Doha.
For more information about Qatar Museums and their public art initiatives, visit qm.org.qa.
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