Montreal: The Years of Culture Initiative, a project by Qatar Museums, is participating in the MURAL Festival in Montreal, Canada, alongside local and international artists. This engagement seeks to reshape the public art landscape through collaborative artworks and is part of the Qatar-Canada-Mexico 2026 Year of Culture, which focuses on enhancing cultural ties through art exhibitions, performance arts, educational projects, and community interactions.
According to Qatar News Agency, Qatari calligraphy and calligraffiti artist Fatima Al Sharshani represents Qatar at the festival, presenting a new public artwork inspired by Canadian author Margaret Atwood's quote, "In the end, we all become stories." Her participation introduces a contemporary Qatari artistic perspective to the festival, which annually transforms Montreal's Saint-Laurent Boulevard into an open-air gallery that attracts global artists and visitors.
Al Sharshani's involvement signifies a new artistic exchange between Qatar and Canada, born from a meeting in Doha. MURAL Festival founder Nicolas Munn Rico visited Qatar during the World Wide Walls street art festival in December 2025. This meeting led to a partnership focused on artist exchange, fostering opportunities for artists from both nations to engage with new audiences and creative communities.
MURAL Festival founder Nicolas Munn Rico remarked on the collaboration: "What began with a visit to Doha has become a creative exchange between two cities that believe in the power of public art. We're thrilled to welcome Fatima to Montreal and excited to see Canadian artists travel to Doha later this year. The most meaningful partnerships are built on reciprocity, and this one allows ideas, talent, and stories to move in both directions."
Al Sharshani, known for her blend of Arabic calligraphy and contemporary street art, explores themes of memory and legacy in her new work. Her mural, inspired by Atwood's reflection, invites viewers to consider their lasting stories and how they wish to be remembered.
"This artwork was inspired by Margaret Atwood's words, 'In the end, we all become stories,' because they captured something that resonated deeply with me," said Fatima Al Sharshani. "These simple words contain an entire lifetime. We spend our lives writing our story through the choices we make, the people we love, and the impact we have on others. This mural is an invitation to pause and ask: when all that's left is the story, what do we want it to say?"
Al Sharshani, a graduate in Chemistry and Food Science from Qatar University, also holds a master's in project management from Oryx University in Qatar. Her work, characterized by simplicity and depth, has been commissioned by entities such as Paris Saint Germain (PSG) and Jedariart. She excels in Diwani, Moroccan, and Thuluth scripts, embodying the Arabic letters in a captivating manner that highlights their beauty.