LATINOAMERICANO: A Cross-Cultural Conversation Through Art

Q: What inspired you to curate an exhibition focused on Latin American art, and how did the idea for LATINOAMERICANO take shape?

Issa Al Shirawi: The story of how the exhibition came about is actually quite interesting but really is connected to the International Committee for Museums and Collections of Modern Art (CIMAM), a subcommittee of the International Council of Museums (ICOM). In 2024, CIMAM held its annual meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina. While I didn’t attend personally, other members of the Qatar Museums team were there. As part of the programme, they visited MALBA—the Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires.

Since the 'Years of Culture' initiative is planned well in advance, we already knew that Argentina and Chile would be upcoming partners. What we were still trying to determine was the right institutional partner. During that CIMAM visit, the team was able to identify MALBA as a private institution that can partner with us.

Beyond the logistics, there’s a deeper reason we chose to focus on Latin American art. There are many meaningful connections between Latin America and the Middle East. Qatar and Argentina, for instance, have celebrated 50 years of diplomatic relations. And going back to the 1920s, we’ve seen waves of Arab migration to Latin America from countries like Palestine, Lebanon and Syria. These links go far beyond diplomacy; they are rooted in shared stories, migration and cultural exchange.

This exhibition is an attempt to build a cultural bridge between two regions that, while geographically distant, share many unexpected connections. Reaching Latin America from Qatar isn’t simple—it often requires a 15-hour flight to Brazil, a layover, and then another few hours to Buenos Aires. It’s a long journey, and one that reflects the level of commitment behind this collaboration.

Q: The exhibition is structured thematically rather than chronologically. What guided this approach, and how do the themes help convey the region’s artistic diversity?

Al Shirawi: We chose a thematic structure because traditional linear storytelling can be quite limiting. Art exhibitions have largely moved away from that approach, as it doesn’t reflect the complexity or diversity of artistic expression, especially in a region as rich and varied as Latin America.

We also avoided organising the exhibition by geography. We didn’t want to fall into the trap of saying, “this is what art from Argentina looks like,” when in reality, artists from the same country can have completely different styles, influences, and ideas.

Chronology also wasn’t practical. The works in LATINOAMERICANO span over a century—from Carlos Federico Sáez’s 1900 painting reflecting Spanish heritage, to Dalton Paula’s 2023 portraits of Afro-Brazilian abolitionists and revolutionaries. So,  the thematic structure not only gave us flexibility—it offered a more resonant way to present the diversity and complexity of Latin American art.

We chose themes that are broad and relatable—like identity, representation, nature, the city, and belonging. While these are complex topics, they allow visitors—regardless of their familiarity with Latin American art—to connect the works to their own experiences or other exhibitions they may have seen, whether in Qatar or abroad.

Q: How were the artworks and artists selected, and what key narratives or criteria influenced those choices?

Al Shirawi: When it came to selecting the artworks and artists, we included iconic, renowned names like Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. You can’t talk about Latin American art without acknowledging their influence.

But it was equally important for us to highlight other equally significant artists—figures like Antonio Berni, for example. His work appears throughout the exhibition in various ways because his output was so prolific. Another standout is Jorge de la Vega’s large-scale work, Rompecabezas (Puzzle), a very important figure because he also becomes synonymous with the identity of MALBA as a museum.

Another key consideration was including pieces that reflect MALBA’s own curatorial history. One example is the first-ever commission the museum undertook—Francis Alÿs’s work from when MALBA opened in 2001. These choices allowed us to tell not only a broader story of Latin American art but also the story of MALBA as a museum.

Q: Could you highlight a few standout works or moments that you believe will resonate with visitors?

Q: This is the first large-scale presentation of Latin American art in Qatar and the WANA region. How do you see the exhibition contributing to cultural dialogue between these regions?

Al Shirawi: I was at the exhibition recently and ran into some Mexican visitors. They were very happy and surprised to see that the exhibition wasn’t just about Frida and Diego, that there was also a much broader representation of Mexican artists like Covarrubias, Remedios Varo, and other important Mexican muralists such as Siqueiros and Tamayo being represented.

So when we talk about cultural dialogue, it’s not just between Latin America and the Middle East—it’s also about the cultural dialogue between the Latin American countries within the exhibition. This exhibition brings artists from different countries into conversation with each other as well – and in some cases, curatorially, may have not been displayed together before.

Q: What role did the collaboration with MALBA, the Eduardo F. Costantini Collection, and the Year of Culture initiative play in realising this exhibition?

Al Shirawi: One of the most meaningful parts of this project was the close collaboration with MALBA. When Sheikha Al Jazi Al-Thani, the lead exhibition designer, and I visited Buenos Aires for workshops, what really stood out was how open and welcoming the MALBA team was. They gave us full access to their collection and storage—every day for two weeks. We sat with their curators, looked at works, and listened to the stories behind them. It felt like a true familial partnership, and that spirit is reflected in the exhibition itself.

Eduardo Costantini, MALBA’s founder, was incredibly generous—some of the works he lent to the show had never even been displayed in the museum before. They were shown for the first time here in Qatar.

The Years of Culture initiative played a key role, facilitating a lot of discussions and embassy contacts. The deep partnership between MALBA, Eduardo, and Qatar Museums was also key to making this happen. We all recognised how important this exhibition was, and we put everything into making it a reality.

Q: What do you hope visitors take away from LATINOAMERICANO —emotionally, intellectually, or culturally?

Al Shirawi: People often ask me what I want visitors to take away from the show, and my answer is always the same: there isn’t just one takeaway. In fact, I don’t want to dictate what that should be. What matters most is that each visitor forms their own personal relationship with the exhibition—whether it’s discovering an artist that sparks curiosity, connecting with a particular perspective, or simply being inspired by a new way of working or thinking.

This isn’t an encyclopedic show that claims to define Latin American art. It’s a curated selection drawn from MALBA’s collection, focused on specific themes and ideas and I think that is the message here, that there’s so much more out there, and part of the exhibition’s purpose is to invite exploration.

Q: Many of the works use non-traditional media and elements of popular culture. How do these artistic choices reflect Latin American identity and socio-political history?

Al Shirawi: When we think about non-traditional media, we think about popular culture, and a lot of these works come from responses to intense social and political conditions. They emerge from moments of crisis—whether political repression, economic instability, poverty, or environmental disasters.

Take Eugenio Dittborn’s Nine Survivors, for example. Dittborn was working under Chile’s Pinochet dictatorship—a period marked by censorship, surveillance, and widespread human rights violations. Unable to leave the country, he developed a form of “mail art,” printing images on craft paper, folding them, and mailing them to exhibitions abroad. In this way, his work travelled internationally even when he could not. So, for Dittborn, the art was not about what was printed on the paper—it was about what the object could do and how it could move beyond borders.

Antonio Berni is another good example. In his depictions of “Juanito,” a fictional boy from the shantytowns of Buenos Aires, he uses found objects from the shantytowns to create his paintings. These materials root his work in local realities and reflect the social conditions he’s addressing.

Hissa Nasser Al Hitmi is a Digital Editorial Coordinator at Qatar Museums.