Iraqi curator Wassan Al-Khudhairi has been appointed artistic director of the Qatar iteration of Art Basel, which runs a series of influential contemporary and modern art fairs in Basel, Miami Beach, Hong Kong and Paris. The founding director of Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, which opened in the Qatari capital in 2010, Al-Khudhairi will shape the artistic direction of Art Basel Qatar 2027 around the curatorial theme of between / نیب, imagined as a space held open for “encounter, exchange and fluidity… not a gap to be closed but a place to inhabit”.
In 2026, Art Basel Qatar’s inaugural edition, curated by artist Wael Shawky, made a commitment to supporting artists and creatives from across the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia, as well as showcasing well-established galleries. In a departure from the usual format, visiting galleries presented work by a single artist, while regional artists were given space to show their own work. Visitors proved the winners, as artworks by established names such as Picasso, Neshat and Basquiat held court alongside exciting regional creative talent. At its launch, when celebrities and film stars rubbed shoulders with gallerists and art fans in and around Msheireb Downtown Doha, Doha Design District and M7 Cultural Forum, half of the artists being represented came from the Global South.
