Qatar designers collaborate with Mexican artisans for Mexico Design Week 2026

The Cultural Years Initiative's "Design of the Future" residency program, presented by the Doha Design Biennale as part of the Qatar-Canada and Mexico Year of Culture 2026, has joined the "Visin y Tradicin" program of Mexico Design Week, bringing together four designers from Qatar and the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia in collaborative work with a group of experienced Mexican artisans.

The exhibition "Vision e Tradition" will be held at the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City and will continue until November 1, as part of the activities of Mexico Design Week 2026, under the theme "Visions from the Global South".

The program brings together Mexican and international artists, with cultural exchange and co-production as the basis for this exhibition that offers different forms of creative knowledge.

Through the Crafts of the Future programme, four collaborations presented engraving works on glass, clay, ceramics and hand-forged brass: Syrian designer Kinan Al-Quwatli worked with veteran engraver Jose Cruz, Lebanese designer and multidisciplinary artist Shireen Sbiti with potter artisans Norberto and Rossi, Iranian designer Yasmin Sheikhi with Studio Guerrero, and British-Indian architect and designer Arman Bansal with the workshop of the Alan Borrico family.

The residency encouraged each of the collaborating art duos to develop work together, allowing ideas to evolve through the journey of joint work, especially as designers discovered techniques, materials and knowledge accumulated through years of practice, or passed down between generations of artists. This is what distinguishes the artworks resulting from this interaction, as the imprint of each participating artist is equally evident in conveying the depth of the artistic dialogues that took place between the collaborators through the work itself.

Mr. Fahad Al-Obaidli, Director of the Doha Design Biennale, said in a statement today that one of the most important lessons provided by the "Crafts of the Future" program is that the craft is not just a means of implementing the designer's idea, but it is a stand-alone knowledge, urging designers to enter their concerns and workshops with the intention of paying attention and listening, and to allow the experience of the craftsman to change their way of thinking, and then the piece itself.

He explained that this matter requires time and is the most precious asset we have today. In a world where design is increasingly shaped by digital tools and speed, working directly with materials and those who have spent decades understanding them gives designers a different perspective on value, artwork production and collaborations. It also pushes them to learn the importance of joint work in the world of crafts and the responsibility that accompanies the act of co-production of works of art.

This approach is reflected in a number of the programs of the Cultural Years Initiative in Doha this fall, a milestone of the Year of Culture, "Qatar, Canada and Mexico 2026".

The programmes highlight a shared interest in how traditional knowledge can enrich contemporary creative practice, as Qatar continues to invest in preserving its heritage, in parallel with the development of its creative and design sectors.

At Ana Elena Mallet's exhibition "Expanded Traditions" and opening at the M7 Centre on October 27, visitors will be introduced to a range of artists and artisans from across Mexico, who are re-reading inherited techniques in the language of contemporary practice, from openwork silverware and natural dyes to textiles and lacquered artefacts. Celebrity chef Elena Regadas will also bring her Panadera Rosetta bakery to the Doha Design District, accompanied by handmade porcelain pieces by artist Perla Valtiera.

The program continues Fernando Labusse's work The Sower, unveiled at the Doha Design Biennale, connecting Mexican and Qatari traditions in a broader exploration of the ways in which traditional knowledge can open up new creative horizons.

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