The biennial exhibition Mal Lawal (‘From the Old Times’) invites local, regional, and international collectors to exhibit works from their personal collections and to share their stories with the public. Mal Lawal was conceived by Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairperson of Qatar Museums, with the aim of showcasing local heritage and offering insight into private collections and the practice of collecting in the region.

With a focus on the 1990s, this edition of Mal Lawal adopts a curatorial approach exploring the history of gaming, marked by the emergence of advanced graphic capabilities which spurred remarkable growth in the gaming world. The exhibition aims to highlight how local collectors have preserved memories of this crucial time in gaming through their collections, which reflect the rising popularity of home game consoles during that period.