Evolution is the thread running through Qatar’s art scene. A look into the peninsula’s artistic history turns into a lesson that creativity can grow when informed by culture, faith and lived experience.
Historically, due to religious rulings around depicting the humanoid form, visual art, in the region leaned heavily toward craftsmanship. Practices such as weaving, calligraphy, dhow ornamentation, and architecture became the dominant forms of expression.
Then came the oil. The oil boom in the 20th century brought unprecedented wealth to Qatar. The government siphoned off a significant portion of this to grassroots public art programs. In no time, little kids winning local art competitions turned into a strong community of painters and sculptors. Women, like Wafika Sultan, were amongst the of Qatar’s professional female visual artist after graduating in 1974.
Today, it’s this legacy that allows Qatar to shine as more than a mirage of concrete and glass rising from the desert. For this year’s National Day, nearly 140 years after unification, we are looking at a new generation of female artists who continue to shape the past into pathways forward.
Mashael Al Hejazi
Calling Al Hejazi just a photographer would be selling her short. By focusing her craft mainly on film and printing photography, she uses the camera as a tool to research local heritage and reflect on the past through a digital lens. By documenting the historic neighborhoods of Doha through her lens, Al Hejazi is creating a visual archive of the structures that formed the background of her life.
Noor AlKharaan
Noor’s work stands as a testament to Qatar’s artistic evolution. Her practice centers on the documentation and preservation of oral traditions, heritage narratives, and cultural identity. She blends Islamic art with cultural display, drawing inspiration from the legendary Persian miniaturist Behzād. AlKharaan develops mixed media miniature works that reimagine and document Qatari folklore.
VOYYYD
VOYYYD is an alter ego that embodies the inner child of a self-taught photographer and visual artist, Aisha Ali, who engaged in a continuous exploration of raw human emotion. Driven by an insatiable curiosity, her experimental approach constantly pushes boundaries as she discovers and incorporates innovative methods and techniques into her evolving artistic practice.
Suzana Joumaa
There’s hardly an artistic discipline Suzana Joumaa hasn’t explored. A Fine Arts graduate of the University of Damascus, she moves between interior architecture, painting, and printmaking. Her work dives deep into psychological landscapes, exploring consciousness, imagination, and the subconscious. At its core lies a focus on the lingering psychological impact of war—giving form to unresolved trauma and the complex mental states carried long after conflict ends.
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