Artlyst News Desk: Art Basel Qatar has confirmed the launch details of its highly anticipated Qatar edition, scheduled to debut from 5–7 February 2026 at Doha’s M7 creative hub in the heart of the city’s Design District. With Preview Days on February 3 and 4, the inaugural event introduces a notable departure from the standard fair model, offering a format rooted in curatorial depth and artistic vision rather than the conventional booth structure.
In a significant move, Egyptian artist and filmmaker Wael Shawky has been appointed Artistic Director of the inaugural edition. Shawky, widely regarded for his politically incisive, research-driven work, will collaborate with Art Basel’s Chief Artistic Officer, Vincenzo de Bellis, to shape the conceptual framework of the fair. Together with a newly formed Selection Committee, the duo will oversee gallery participation, placing narrative, experimentation, and regional specificity at the centre of the programme.
The fair will unfold across M7, the Doha Design District, and selected public sites throughout Msheireb. Unlike traditional formats, Art Basel Qatar will present an open-plan exhibition of solo presentations structured around a central theme: Becoming. Framing the Gulf as a cultural and historical palimpsest, the theme explores transformation—of self, society, and storytelling—in an increasingly complex global context.
“This edition pushes the boundaries of what an art fair can be,” said de Bellis. “It is not about rejecting the market but about meeting it on new terms—ones defined by artists’ ideas and cultural resonance.” The initiative underscores Doha’s ambitions as a nexus for contemporary art and intellectual exchange, bolstered by its expanding institutional landscape and international networks.
Shawky’s recent contributions to the 2024 Venice Biennale and his site-specific installations in Arles and Edinburgh confirm his continued relevance on the global stage. He brings to the role not only curatorial insight but also a longstanding commitment to artist-led education through his MASS Alexandria initiative. In 2024, he was appointed Artistic Director of Doha’s Fire Station, where he established the Arts Intensive Study Program, designed to support a new generation of emerging voices in Qatar and beyond.
“The invitation to shape this first edition of Art Basel Qatar is both a responsibility and an opportunity,” said Shawky. “The region is rich with multiplicity. The fair must reflect that—not only through who is shown, but how.”
The Selection Committee includes a slate of major galleries with strong regional and global presence: Lorenzo Fiaschi (Galleria Continua), Shireen Gandhy (Chemould Prescott Road), Daniela Gareh (White Cube), Mohammed Hafiz (Athr), Sunny Rahbar (The Third Line), and Gordon VeneKlasen (Michael Werner Gallery).
While maintaining its commercial imperatives, Art Basel Qatar aims to introduce a new rhythm to the international fair calendar—one that invites pause, immersion, and discursive engagement. Whether this new structure signals a wider evolution within the fair model remains to be seen. Still, with Shawky’s direction and the institutional muscle behind the scenes, all signs point to an edition worth watching.
Art Basel Qatar 5–7 February 2026 Doha Qatar
