Qatari artist unveils new Minneapolis–St. Paul mural inspired by legacy of Qatar-USA 2021 Year of Culture

Doha, Qatar: Minneapolis St. Paul has a new splash of colour on its skyline, and it comes from halfway around the world. Qatari contemporary artist Mu...

Doha, Qatar: Minneapolis–St. Paul has a new splash of colour on its skyline, and it comes from halfway around the world. Qatari contemporary artist Mubarak Nasser Al-Thani has completed a large-scale mural in the Twin Cities, offering a fresh take on some of the area’s most familiar landmarks inspired by repeating patterns popular in Middle Eastern design.

The mural features a stylised mix of Minneapolis–St. Paul icons, including the historic Foshay Tower, Stone Arch Bridge, IDS Center, Wells Fargo Tower, the Cedar complex, and the Minnesota State Capitol, all reimagined through Mubarak’s minimalistic, geometric style. The result is a colourful visual map of the metro area’s architectural identity.

“As an artist rooted in Doha but now working in Minneapolis, I view every city through the lens of cultural exchange, merging my eastern heritage with a new western skyline,” Mubarak said. “My aim with this mural is to reflect the architecture of the Twin Cities through shapes and colours that carry both Qatari influences and Midwestern spirit. Qatar’s Years of Culture initiative brought me to the U.S. in 2021 to create street art in San Francisco during the Qatar-USA partnership and I am happy to continue that journey in Minneapolis.”

Al-Thani, who splits his time between Doha and Minneapolis where he is pursuing a second MFA in painting and with a minor in sculpting at the Minneapolis College of the Arts and Design (MCAD), is known for deconstructing urban landscapes and reassembling them through stacked forms, cultural motifs, and rhythmic sequences.