In the land of hidden beauties and deep inspiration, a storm of design passion is shaping the future of the region. Young designers are discovering the rich heritage and connecting past and future through design in the Arab world, aiming to reach the world and be heard. Discovering the inspiration behind the vast land of the Middle East and North Africa and the forgotten glory of Arab design heritage through calligraphy, architecture, literature, and craftsmanship brings various products to life.

City of art; Doha

After remarkable success in the 2022 World Cup, the attention of the world turns to the Middle East, and all negative propaganda is forgotten with the enormous success story of Qatar in the 2022 World Cup. Qatar changed the perception of the Middle East in the world by uniting people with sport and art. While people came to Doha for sports, they found themselves in an event of art; all visitors could experience the art just by being around great architecture in Doha, not only great designed buildings but also sculptures from every corner of the city to the desert. Although people might think the richest desert country Qatar’s mission ended, it just started with art and design.

Qatar is not just investing in the country’s physical development but also intellectual and cultural development through design and art by supporting local artists and designers, giving them the opportunity for international exposure. The first edition of the Doha Design Biennale is taking place in the M7 Msheireb neighborhood, which is the design hub of the country that itself is a piece of art.

Curated by Jordanian independent curator and art consultant Rana Beiruti, the Arab Design Now (February 24–August 5, 2024) exhibition is aiming to be the region’s design industry’s lead role in the race to be the capital of the Middle East design industry. “Today, the Arab world is very culturally diverse and has a really long and rich history of innovation and craft. Designers across the region are digging into that rich cultural heritage, reinterpreting it, and preserving it through contemporary design.” says Beiruti, for the event that will open a new chapter in Qatar’s long vision for ‘creative industry’ with the leadership of Sheikha Al Mayassa Bint Hamad Al Thani.

Rebirth of Arab design

The title says a lot about the ambitious vision change in the country and region for the design industry, not only for designers but as a movement for society to be a producer rather than a consumer for the creative industry. It is a call for a renaissance for the Middle East, to rediscover its identity, culture, craft, history, heritage, and glorious days of creativity, art through contemporary design.

Renaissance is a French word meaning “rebirth” used for a European historical period of cultural, artistic, and intellectual movement that made the West where it is today. As art history started in the Middle East, in Mesopotamia, this is a rebirth, not only for Arab design but for the whole region, regardless of religion or ethnicity, that embraces the whole creative mind that resembles the identity of the region.

Almost every country in the region started design week with different events and design hubs for creative minds, supporting emerging designers and giving them the them the opportunity to be on the world design stage. However, Dubai first comes to mind in the GCC for the design industry. Qatar elevated the movement to a different level by merging the art of the city with society, making it part of everyday life, and using it as an educational tool.

In the 2010 TedxDoha event, Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani’s speech “Globalizing the Local, Localizing the Global” summarized the purpose of the movement, which is cultural development through identity. This identity is seen mostly as a way of living by the West and judged by only shape rather than ideas and meanings that will be reborn through design.

Arab design is like desert, seen as a vast brown sand that, although it hides hundreds of colors in each grain, has a rich past and a bright future for people who can see.