8 must-see things at the LATINOAMERICANO exhibit at the National Museum of Qatar

ILoveQatar.net

25-05-2025

LATINOAMERICANO is the landmark exhibit of the Qatar Argentina and Chile 2025 Year of Culture, hosted at the National Museum of Qatar. It's in collaboration with Modern and Contemporary Art from the Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires (Malba) and Eduardo F. Costantini Collections. It's the first large-scale presentation of Latin American art in the region.
The exhibit features over 170 multidisciplinary artworks that explore Latin America's culture and identity. The ILoveQatar.net (ILQ) team has visited the exhibit and is here to tell you some of the artwork and pieces you shouldn't miss!
Sculpture of Dreams by Marta Minujin
Ever wanted to walk through a giant, colourful piece of art? 😍
🎨 Sculpture of Dreams by Marta Minujin is a new outdoor art installation at the National Museum of Qatar as part of the Qatar, Argentina, and Chile Year of Culture 2025.
✨ The installation invites visitors to… pic.twitter.com/h1M10WOM7u
— ILoveQatar - Live (@ILQLive) April 28, 2025
Before you enter the LATINAMERICANO exhibit, be sure to visit the Sculpture of Dreams by conceptual pop artist Marta Minujin in the outdoor area of the National Museum of Qatar. This sculpture once adorned New York's Times Square and is now in Doha, offering an immersive experience.
Visitors can walk through the sculpture's interior and be surrounded by vibrant colours, and are encouraged to whisper their hopes and wishes before leaving.
Frida Kahlo's corner
One thing you definitely shouldn't miss is Frida Kahlo's corner of the exhibit, featuring her Self Portrait with Monkey and Parrot. Created in 1942, this oil painting is one of Frida's famous self-portraits and showcases her with two animal companions, just like many of her works: a monkey and a parrot. Witness her signature vibrant art style that accentuates her striking features.
Frida Kahlo's red and yellow huipil, a cotton blouse worn by Mexican women, is also displayed. Seeing this creates the surreal feeling of Frida's life becoming tangible, as you encounter an actual piece of her clothing. You'll find a handkerchief with Frida's handwriting and a mark of her lipstick beside it, too. The display also includes various photos and portraits throughout Frida Kahlo's life.
Quipu Desaparecido (Disappeared Quipu) by Cecilia Vicuña
A multi-sensory installation to check out is A Poem in Space by Cecilia Vicuña. The piece showcases the ancient art of record-keeping called quipu, which involves tying knots on fabric or strings.
In early centuries, various cultures in South America used tied knots to store information based on dimensions like colour, order, and number. This method of record-keeping was also used to store poems and historical accounts.
Her installation Quipu Desaparecido pays homage to this, accompanied by projected scenes and ambient sounds, meant to tell the story of how early civilisations suffered from Spanish colonisation.
Analogy IV by Víctor Grippo
Analogy IV by Víctor Grippo is an interesting piece that contrasts artificial and organic elements. You'll find a set for two, with the left side featuring a black tablecloth, an acrylic plate, cutlery, and artificial potatoes, while the right side displays a white tablecloth, a ceramic plate, metal cutlery, and three real potatoes.
Another interesting piece to see is the Inserções em circuitos ideológicos: Projeto Coca-Cola by Cildo Meireles. Three Coca-Cola bottles are on display with varying levels of fullness. The artist had printed political messages and artwork on the bottles in white ink, using similar branding that becomes almost invisible when the bottle is empty. Reportedly, these bottles were released back into the market through bottle return systems, where factories failed to notice the messages on empty bottles, refilled them, and returned them to the market for consumers to encounter the messages unsuspectingly.
These bottles were circulated in Brazil during a time of military dictatorship that lasted from 1964 to 1985.
8 Sobrevivientes (8 Survivors) by Eugenio Dittborn
8 Sobrevivientes is part of Eugenio Dittborn's conceptual Airmail Series and depicts 8 various portraits of survivors who represent those who were censored or "disappeared" during Chile's military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.
The piece is meant to be displayed with its envelope and showcases creases and tears, emphasizing the struggles of its journey. Make sure to read the text within the artwork to learn more about some of the survivors' stories.
Sinusoide by Oscar Bony
Oscar Bony is another conceptual artist whose work has deep political themes. His piece Sinusoide takes the form and pattern of a sine wave, symbolizing political powers that control and enforce censorship over society.
Constellations by Kosice
Constellations by Kosice is a beautiful, luminous artwork meant to represent stars and galaxies. Take in the piece as a whole and how the lights take shape, and step closer to see the intricate details and images embedded that can only be seen up close.
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