Qatar Museums brings POW! WOW! international mural festival to Doha

As part of its ongoing initiative to breathe life into urban spaces across Doha, Qatar Museums (QM) is hosting the “POW! WOW!” international mural festival from November 25 to December 1.The festival, being hosted for the first time in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region, will see 12 local, regional and international artists add striking artwork to walls around the Al Sadd Metro station, the QM has said in a statement.Members of the community are invited to join Qatar Museums for the official launch of the Doha edition of POW! WOW! on November 24, from 5pm to 7pm, at the National Museum of Qatar Auditorium.Representatives from Qatar Museums will introduce the festival, followed by talks with the participating artists and street art collectives.To register to attend, one has to visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/powwow-doha-opening-conference-tickets-210912032567.POW! WOW! was founded in 2009 by artist, illustrator, curator and art director Jasper Wong in Hong Kong, with the first edition of the week-long mural festival being held in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 2010.The festival has since exhibited in 17 cities worldwide with the purpose of city beautification and community building.Participating artists include Mubarak al-Malik (Qatar), Huda Basahal (Qatar), Alanoud al-Ghamdi (Qatar), Myneandyours (Iraq), Bufifty (Kuwait), RexChouk (Saudi Arabia), Said Dokins (Mexico), Nardstar* (South Africa), Said Kinos (Netherlands), Max Sansing (US), Douglas de Castro (Brazil), and Kim Sielbeck (US).Two regional street art collectives were each invited to nominate an artist for the festival lineup.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.Abdulrahman Ahmad al-Ishaq, director of Public Art at Qatar Museums, 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,” he added."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 said.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 (sponsor), Qatar Rail (location partner), JW Marriott (hotel partner), and Jotun (official paint sponsor).Alongside the festival, participating POW! WOW! artists will also add murals to the pool-side wall at JW Marriott Marquis City Center Doha 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 the US embassy in Doha, Katara and Qatar Museums, artist Jason Keam will paint Katara's Building 47.Qatar Museums Culture Pass Plus and Culture Pass Family members are invited to attend an exclusive walking tour of POW! WOW! on November 27, from 4pm to 5pm, at Al Sadd Metro station.One can visit www.qm.org.qa/en/culturepass to become a Culture Pass Plus or Culture Family member and enjoy complimentary access to guided tours, exhibitions, talks and workshops.Coinciding with the street art festival, Qatar Museums is also running a digital art competition from November 25 to December 1, inviting artists in Qatar to submit a digital mural or intervention for one of the walls at Al Sadd Metro station.Two winners will each receive QR1,000 in gift vouchers to be redeemed at Qatar Museums' In-Q Gift Shop.To enter, artists should sign up to become a Culture Pass member before posting their digital artworks on Instagramm tagging @qatar_museums and using the hashtags #PowwowDoha and #Powwowdigital.Entries can also be submitted to @powwowdoha via direct message on Instagram.Deadline for entry submissions is before midnight on December 1.The winning gift vouchers should be redeemed before December 31.POW! WOW! is open to the public from 10am to 5pm from November 25 to December 1.For more information, one can visit www.qm.org.qa.