Qatar will forever have a privileged place in the hearts of Argentines for having been the headquarters of the World Cup in 2022. But in 2025, this small state located in the Persian Gulf further consolidated relations with Argentina by associating it with one of its most important international programs: “Years of Culture”. Through “Years of Culture”, for 12 months, one or more countries in the world create with Qatar an alliance of exchange, training and support in all areas of the cultural field. This proposal of collaboration and friendship that was born in 2012, when Qatar was designated as the host of the 2022 World Cup, It has had as partners such central nations as Japan, Brazil, China, the United States and France, inter alia.
This year, Argentina and Chile were the countries chosen for “highlight the enduring influence Arabic in Latin America. The large Arab diasporas in these countries have enriched their social fabric, which has facilitated exchange in gastronomy, language and values. Qatar and Argentina, with five decades of diplomatic relations, share complementary economies and strong commercial ties,” as expressed in the official communication from the Qatari authorities.
What have been the most important chapters of this association and what weight cultural actions have on Qatar’s image towards the world, we explain in this note.
Culture and identity
Before continuing, we provide some basic information about Qatar. The country is a small peninsula of 11,437 km2 that borders Saudi Arabia by land. It has a population of 2.8 million people, of which only 15 percent are indigenous Qataris. It has the third largest gas reserve on the planet, which, along with oil, is the country’s main source of wealth. Qatar boasts one of the highest GDP per capita in the world. Until 1971 it was an English protectorate. Today its system of government is the monarchy. The current emir is Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. The capital, Doha, concentrates most of the country’s economic and cultural activities.
Specialists speak of “soft power” when they refer to the initiatives that the Qatari government supports to enter into relations with the rest of the world. A strategy that focuses on culture, information, sports or education, among many other social activities, to create ties with other countries. The holding of the Cup in 2022 was a very important step for Qatar within this strategy.
The state organization Qatar Museums concentrates most of the country’s cultural actions and is headed by Sheikha Al Mayassa Bint Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, sister of the Emir. Under its orbit is concentrated all the programming of Qatar’s fabulous museums and also creative and educational institutions such as the Doha Film Institute, Reach Out to Asia and Qatar Leadership Centre. Qatar Museum is in charge of both the more formal cultural activities (samples, exhibitions, etc.) as well as the care of heritage and the development of creative industries, festivals and public programs.
For example, in November, there is the Doha International Film Festival and the first edition of Qatar Art Basel. Both are under the orbit of Qatar Museums.
Determined to become one of the cultural capitals of the world, Doha concentrates the best architecture imaginable, with buildings made by today’s most prominent creators. In many of them, cultural activity reaches the same standards, attracting the world’s leading artists.
The National Museum of Qatar is one of those memorable buildings. Made by the French architect Jean Nouvel and inspired by a desert rose, it is built around the original construction, which turns 50 this year, and traces the history of the country, from its origins to today. With huge immersive rooms that have the most advanced technology, visiting this museum is an entertaining and agile educational experience. Following its anniversary, its main exhibition these days traces its own history as a repository of the cultural identity of a people.
Another emblematic building is the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA)which contains one of the best collections of the art and history of Islam and is located in an exceptional construction. The work was carried out by the famous Chinese-American architect IMPei (creator of the Louvre pyramid), to whom in 2025 the institution pays tribute with an extensive and detailed retrospective.
Mathaf, Modern Museum of Arab Artexhibits the largest collection of contemporary Arab art in the world but also houses other important current artists. The Argentine Gabriel Chaile will soon inaugurate a facility there. The French architect Jean-François Bodin He is responsible for the building that was rebuilt from an old school.
The 321 Olympic and Sports Museum With its collection, it tells the sports history of the region. It has the particularity of being connected to the Khalifa stadium, with which it forms a high-impact architectural complex. It is the work of the Spanish Joan Sibina. It currently exhibits an exhibition on the evolution of sports footwear, from the oldest sneaker to the fashion pieces preferred today by the youngest.
Two other buildings in Doha are worth mentioning that combine cultural interest with excellent architecture. The headquarters of M7, an organization that promotes fashion design, was created by the Qatari architect Ibrahim Al Jaidah. Its exhibitions rescue the history and work of the best designers in the region. On the other hand, the same architect converted an old fire station into an exhibition center for artists in residence. This is Fire Station, one of the youngest and most relaxed spaces in the city. .
Outside Doha, art also takes over the desert in two exceptional installations. Four immense steel plates created by the American artist Richard Serra are a landmark in the landscape of the Brouq nature reserve, near Zekreet, 80 km away. from Doha. The name is “East-West/West-East”a significant description of a planet that seeks to reunite all its coordinates.
The beautiful “Shadows that travel in the sea of the day”, an installation by the Danish artist Olafur Eliasson, north of Doha, mixes steel and mirrors to imagine new images with each step of the viewer. His intentions with this work, as Eliasson stated, were to create a work that would raise awareness, more than a thousand words, about the state of the planet.
With a sustained level of excellence, Qatar invites the rest of the world to a dialogue in which culture is a bridge over differences. Argentina joined this communication in 2025.
The year of Argentina
With an important exhibition at the National Museum of Qatar, Malba began the “Years of Culture” year in the first months of 2025. With the name “Latinoamericano”, the museum created by Eduardo Costantini brought to the Middle East the largest exhibition of Latin American art that had been seen in the region until then. Works by Frida Kahlo, Antonio Berni, Wilfredo Lam, Diego Rivera and Xul Solar, among many others, traveled to Doha to a very interested reception from the local public.
Another important activity this year was led by the Qatari National Library and its Qatar Reads initiative, a program that aims to expand the scope of reading, especially in childhood. Together with the Buenos Aires Government, it produced a special edition in Spanish of the collection of Arab fables “Kalila wa Dimna” that was distributed in libraries and schools in the country. In addition, at the Ricardo Güiraldes Library, an exhibition with the paintings that illustrate the book made by the Qatari artist Wadha Al Athba completed the proposal.
In September, The Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra performed at the Teatro Colón with a repertoire that included pieces by Piazzolla and Dana Al Fardan. Also in September, young people from Qatar, Argentina and Chile met at the Usina del Arte convened by Doha Debates to try to answer the question “How should we reinvent the city?” The meeting served to think about the possibilities of coexistence in a world whose population is increasingly urban.
The CultuRide initiative In October it involved a team of cyclists to travel 500 km. between Chile and Argentina inviting local fans to join the journey.
Also in October Argentine designer Valentina Musa opened a pop-up store in M7, the Qatari institution that promotes fashion design, in the center of Doha.
In the park of the Museum of Islamic Art, within the framework of Qatar Creates Week, an interactive exhibition organized by Thai creator Rirkrit Tiravanija paid tribute to the performance from 1972 by Argentine conceptual artist Víctor Grippo. The performance that served as inspiration was “Construction of a popular oven to make bread” and as in 1972, in Doha, bread was distributed to the spectators gathered to see the installation.
The public spaces of Buenos Aires and Doha will be the scene until the end of the year of the installation of murals by Qatari and Argentine artists. In December, Gabriel Chaile will exhibit one of his characteristic large clay sculptures at the Mathaf museum in Dohato celebrate their anniversary.
One of the most important contacts of Qatari culture with that of Chile, has its architect Alejandro Aravena as the protagonist. It is about the creation of Art Mill Museum which is currently under construction and will house an exceptional collection of international modern art. The building will have 80,000 m2 and will encompass all expressions of art, from cinema to design.
A fluid exchange that also includes the world of sports and small industries is the main proposal of “Years of Culture”. The year is already ending but the dialogue initiated by artists, businessmen and entrepreneurs will leave agreements and concerns that will strengthen ties in the future.
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