Qatar's Royal Patronage of the Arts DOHA, QATAR - Qatar's royal family is making Doha, the country's capital, into an international art hub for renowned artists from all over the world as it sets the stage for the World Cup in 2022, but local artists are being weeded out in the process. "Investing millions in art venues and art work isn't enough," said Ninar Esber, a Lebanese artist represented by the Anne de Villepoix Gallery of Paris. What is missing, she said, are the basics, like freedom of speech. The art scene "is an empty golden shell," she said, adding, "It glitters from the outside, but from the inside, it is empty." "Maybe with time things will change," she said. I hope so, but I don't believe that art changes societies. Laws and secular governments do. Critics of the Qatar royal family say it is behaving as a facilitator of the international art scene while at the same time using it for self-promotion. And rather than letting the art scene in Qatar grow naturally according to the needs of its people to express themselves, these observers say, the country is handpicking artists who are politically neutral. In such an atmosphere, most local artists do not stand much of a chance. "It's hard to survive as an artist in a world where all that's important is fame and image," said a Bahraini contemporary artist who declined to be named for fear of being deported. And I am not the only one who has come back without a lead. It's the way it is in Qatar now. "There is no freedom of expression in Qatar and yet there is so much to be disclosed about its problems and injustices," he added. As an artist I should be able to share my views on these through my work. But because of the constant fear of being punished, speaking out plainly against the royal family is not a risk worth taking, he said. The Qatar Museums Authority, headed by Sheika Al Mayassa bint Hamad Al Thani, a daughter of the emir, is the governing authority of most art projects in the country. Jean-Paul Engelen, director of public art programs at the museums authority, said that despite what some view as a lack of freedom of expression in Qatar, the art scene in Doha is very rich. "I suddenly find myself talking to people from all over the world, about the conscious and unconscious at the Bourgeois exhibition, for example," he said. We are trying to show a point of view, not trying to upset the existing one. It is possible to provoke conversation without being insulting. There appears to be a high demand for the type of art scene that Qatar is developing. The West is in financial decline and opportunities for artists like those offered in the Gulf are scarce. Arts organizations and artists across the West are struggling because of cuts in arts funding. In this context, Qatar has taken up a key role in shaping the world of art. Takashi Murakami, the Japanese artist, said in an interview that doing an exhibition in Doha was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to realize a large-scale project that he could not have done anywhere else due to the lack of investment. His exhibition, Ego-Murakami, is taking place at Al Riwaq, a purpose-built venue that is part of the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha. Many agree with Mr. Murakami's view that Qatar is a positive venue for art. But observers also say that loosening regulations on freedom of expression and promoting local contemporary artists are equally important. For Qatar's burgeoning art scene to be a lasting success, observers say, it must create a vibrant art community among its residents, be they Qatari, Indian, British or Filipino. "A thriving museum system relies on the development of cultural infrastructure, such as schools and residences, as well as interactions with local artists," said Wassan Al-Khudhairi, director of the Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha.