Today, Art Basel Qatar unveils new details of the artworks and programming that will define the inaugural edition of the fair in February 2026, presented in partnership with Qatar Sports Investment (QSI) and QC+.
Alongside its core presentation of 84 artists and 87 galleries, Art Basel Qatar will showcase a unique Special Projects program — a wide-ranging series of nine large-scale, site-specific sculptures, installations, and performances unfolding across key cultural venues and public spaces in Msheireb Downtown Doha. Curated by Art Basel Qatar Artistic Director Wael Shawky in close collaboration with Vincenzo de Bellis, Chief Artistic Officer & Global Director Art Basel Fairs, these landmark projects respond to the fair’s central theme, Becoming, and together form the most extensive group of public works ever realized for an Art Basel show.
In conversation with the artworks in the Galleries sector, the Special Projects deepen the fair’s exploration of Becoming. Across both sectors, artists consider transformation in material and conceptual terms — examining metamorphosis, transition, upheaval, and the thresholds in between. Works presented through the Special Projects engage directly with the seismic environmental, economic, and social shifts shaping our world, grounding the program in urgent regional and global realities. Visitors can expect an immersive, narrative-rich journey in which each work contributes to a wider reflection on transformation and identity across the MENASA region.
Featuring monumental architectural and mixed-media interventions, the Special Projects program underscores Art Basel’s commitment to staging fairs that are locally grounded and globally resonant, developed in close collaboration with host cities and their artistic ecosystems. Further details of the Special Projects program are outlined below.
Vincenzo de Bellis, Chief Artistic Officer and Global Director Art Basel Fairs, said: ‘We are thrilled to announce the highlights of the inaugural edition of Art Basel Qatar, which features an exciting series of Special Projects unfolding across Msheireb and responding to the theme Becoming. Together with the main Galleries sector of the show, these works present a narrative of transformation that offers audiences the chance to experience the region’s widest range of artistic practices. The first edition of Art Basel Qatar will be truly remarkable, an opportunity for visitors to encounter firsthand the richness of artistic expression in the MENASA region.’
Wael Shawky, Artistic Director, said: ‘Working with this extraordinary group of galleries and artists for the first edition of Art Basel Qatar is both a privilege and a milestone. Each presentation brings a practice that is deeply rooted in the cultural fabric of the Gulf and its extended geographies, while also pushing conversations forward in bold and unexpected ways. Together, they activate Msheireb with fresh perspectives and new encounters that reshape how audiences engage with place. We can’t wait for visitors to experience the exceptional creativity unfolding in Qatar.”
The fair brings together galleries from 31 countries and territories, including 16 making their Art Basel debut. Showcasing work by 84 international artists, with more than half hailing from across the region, this edition firmly positions Art Basel Qatar as the region’s anchor fair, creating a powerful conduit between the MENASA region and the Art Basel network worldwide.
Art Basel Qatar – with Visit Qatar as the fair’s Lead Partner – will be held from 5-7 February 2026 (with Preview Days from 3-4 February), across Msheireb Downtown Doha venues M7 and Doha Design District, as well as other locations and venues in the area. Read more about the fair here.
Marking a defining moment for the launch of Art Basel Qatar, the Special Projects program, curated by Art Basel Qatar Artistic Director Wael Shawky in close collaboration with Vincenzo de Bellis, Chief Artistic Officer & Global Director Art Basel Fairs, showcases a remarkable group of acclaimed voices from across the region.
The nine selected projects by Abraham Cruzvillegas; Bruce Nauman; Hasan Khan; Khalil Rabah; Nalini Malani; Nour Jaouda; Rayyane Tabet; Sumayya Vally; and Sweat Variant (Okwui Okpokwasili and Peter Born); will debut groundbreaking works that respond to and expand on the fair’s overarching theme, Becoming.
Spanning film and moving image, sculpture, performance, and architecture, they explore the environmental and social histories that have shaped contemporary life in the MENASA region and beyond. Together, the artist’s installations and performances promise to transform the inaugural edition into a landmark experience, offering audiences bold perspectives, immersive interventions, and powerful reflections on transformation, identity, and the future.
QATAR MUSEUMS EXHIBITIONS AND PUBLIC ART ON VIEW DURING THE SHOW
Art Basel Qatar takes place alongside a vibrant range of exhibitions and cultural programs across Qatar Museums institutions, underscoring the nation’s stature as a hub for artistic innovation and cross-cultural dialogue.
Alongside celebrated public artworks such as Richard Serra’s East-West/West-East and Olafur Eliasson’s Shadows Travelling on the Sea of the Day, the exhibitions program includes two major exhibitions marking the 15th anniversary of Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art; two landmark presentations dedicated to the life and work of the renowned architect behind the Museum of Islamic Art, I. M. Pei; and a groundbreaking exhibition co-curated architects Rem Koolhaas and Samir Bantal that reimagines the rural landscape as a space for sustainability, innovation, and future living.
‘we refuse_d’ brings together more than 15 contemporary artists from the Arab world whose works explore themes of resistance, care, and resilience through new commissions and collaborative installations.
Rirkrit Tiravanija’s interactive installation untitled 2025 (no bread no ashes) reinterprets the bakery oven as both a functional tool and powerful cultural symbol. Inspired by Argentine artist Victor Grippo’s 1972 performance in Buenos Aires, the installation invites visitors to experience traditional ovens from the region as sites for social interaction, emphasizing connection, shared labor, and cultural identity. Every Friday, visitors are invited to gather and reflect through a series of baking programs showcasing different types of breads from diverse cultural traditions. The installation is organized by Rubaiya Qatar, an international contemporary art quadrennial’s inaugural edition in November 2026.
‘I. M. Pei and the Making of the Museum of Islamic Art: From Square to Octagon and Octagon to Circle’ present original sketches, models, early photographs, and archival documents – many displayed publicly for the first time – to retrace Pei’s process of transforming centuries of tradition into the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha.
‘The Rooted Nomad: MF Husain’ is a fully immersive, multi-sensory experiential project presenting works by Maqbool Fida Husain one of India’s iconic artists, who lived his final years in Qatar. Through a distinguished portfolio of works that weave together myth, memory, and modernity, the exhibition reflects Husain’s vision of India as both an ancient civilization and a postcolonial nation. The exhibition was conceptualized and produced by Kiran Nadar Museum of Art.
Qatar Preparatory School and The National Museum of Qatar
Spanning a geographic arc from Africa through the Middle East and Central Asia to China, ‘Countryside: A Place to Live, Not to Leave’ highlights a region deeply connected by history and still home to a majority of the world’s population. Through installations, research, and storytelling, the exhibition challenges the dominant urban narrative and invites visitors to explore how rural life can offer more humane and ecological answers to today’s global crises.
‘Sneakers Unboxed: Studio to Street’ features more than 200 pairs of sneakers displayed alongside photographs, films, and archival materials. Highlights include rare and limited-edition designs as well as an exclusive presentation of Virgil Abloh’s celebrated sneaker creations.
Qatar Museum’s extensive collection of public art includes works by local, regional and international artists throughout the nation.