Mural by Mubarak Al Malik.
Doha, Qatar: In a year defined by creativity without borders, Years of Culture and Qatar Museums’ Public Art Department have taken JEDARIART, Qatar’s beloved public art programme, on a new journey across Latin America.
This November, the project arrived in Chile and Argentina, transforming public spaces into open-air galleries that celebrate friendship, hospitality, and the universal language of art.
Launched in 2020 under the patronage of H E Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, JEDARIART has reimagined how communities connect with art, bringing murals and installations into everyday life.
Qatari artists Aisha Al Fadhala and Mubarak Al Malik joined forces with Chilean collaborators through a partnership with Edgar Endress, Professor at George Mason University, and a member of the Institute for Public Art (IPA). Together, they painted large-scale murals on the Municipality Building of Valdivia and the Architecture Department at Universidad Austral de Chile, filling its walls with symbols of Chilean nature and Qatari tradition.
Al Malik’s mural, Love and Hospitality, captured the heart of this collaboration. Known for his use of the battoollah, the traditional face mask worn by Qatari matriarchs, Al Malik combined Qatari motifs such as the mabkhara (incense burner) with Chilean wildlife, featuring the strong-voiced and elusive chucao bird. He incorporated textile patterns worn by Qatari women alongside the copihue flower, uniting Valdivia’s natural colours with Qatari designs to create an easy fusion of both cultures.
Aisha Al-Fadhala, known artistically as ALFA, worked with the University to develop a piece that reflects the culture and beauty of Valdivia. Often described as the gateway to Chilean Patagonia, Valdivia is surrounded by dramatic landscapes and stunning natural scenery, elements that deeply influenced her muralA Sip of Cultures.
Inspired by the region’s mountains, sunsets, and intense colour palette, ALFA placed the traditional Qatari ghawa cup at the heart of the composition, encircled by Valdivia’s natural motifs. Henna-inspired patterns, shaped by her research into textiles from the Los Ríos region, appeared across the design, merging Qatari and Chilean aesthetics. Additional elements included the dandurria bird soaring across the backdrop and delicate chilco flowers draping from the corners.
A few days later,JEDARIART moved eastward to Buenos Aires, where two Qatari artists, Abdulla Alemadi and Abdulla Al Sallat, worked in an up-and-coming neighbourhood of Buenos Aires.
