Nearly 90 galleries have signed on to take part in Art Basel’s inaugural fair in Qatar, the art fair powerhouse’s first full-scale event in the region. Art Basel Qatar will showcase presentations of works by 84 artists organised by 87 galleries across three venues in Doha. Exhibitors hail from countries local throughout the Middle East, as well as blue-chip galleries from the US and Europe. The fair will take place starting with two preview days on 3 and 4 February and continue until 7 February.
Art Basel is presenting the fair in partnership with Qatar Sports Investment (QSI), a holding company operated by the Qatari government, and QC+, a strategic enterprise wing of Qatar Museums, another Qatari government entity that oversees the emirate’s museums.
Qatar has come under fire from groups like Human Rights Watch for widespread exploitation of migrant workers—who make up about 95% of Qatar’s workforce—as well as laws that discriminate against women and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Artists have raised concerns over censorship and free speech in the country, where nearly all political power is held by the hereditary Emir, currently Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Al Thani’s sister, Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad Al Thani, is the chairperson of Qatar Museums and a driving force in Qatar’s art world expansion.
Human rights concerns do not appear to have put off galleries looking to get a foothold in the oil-rich region. When Art Basel Qatar was first announced in May, organisers said they were planning for around 50 stands—the 54% increase in exhibitors is due to strong worldwide interest in participation.
“We have received strong interest in participation since the moment we announced Art Basel Qatar, and the final expanded selection reflects that demand as well as close collaboration with our partners QSI and QC+ to secure additional space across our sites,” Art Basel’s global fair director Vincenzo de Bellis told The Art Newspaper in a statement. “There is broad recognition that conditions are right for market acceleration—there is incredible talent across the region that is underrepresented in the global market, unprecedented investment in cultural infrastructure and a rapidly growing collector base.”
The world’s top galleries will showcase some of their most high-profile artists. Gagosian will present a stand dedicated to Christo; Hauser & Wirth is bringing Philip Guston; White Cube will show Georg Baselitz; Gladstone Gallery is showing Alex Katz; Acquavella Galleries is bringing Jean-Michel Basquiat; and David Zwirner will show work by Marlene Dumas.
More than half of the artists whose work is expected to be shown at Art Basel Qatar hail from the Middle East, organisers say. Anthony Meier and Waddington Custot will jointly present a stand dedicated to works by Etel Adnan. Perrotin will show Ali Banisadr; Almine Rech will show Ali Cherry; Karma International will show Simone Fattal and Sylvia Kouval will show Iman Issa. Galleries from the region making their debuts at an Art Basel fair include Hafez Gallery from Saudi Arabia, Gallery Misr based in Cairo, Le Violon Bleu from Tunis, Saleh Barakat Gallery of Beirut and Tabari Artspace from Dubai.
Organisers say Art Basel Qatar’s layout will mark a departure from the typical stand model, and that the fair will feature an open-format configuration across venues in Doha, like the M7 art and culture hub, the Doha Design District and public sites in the development community Msheireb Downtown Doha. Pricing for participants is not based on placement or stand size, like at a traditional art fair.
The Egyptian artist Wael Shawky is leading the curatorial direction for the fair, in which the single-artist presentations will respond to the theme “Becoming”.
“The theme ‘Becoming’ is a meditation on change, on how humanity reshapes the ways we live, believe and create meaning,” Shaky said in a statement. “The Gulf lies at the heart of this story, where oral traditions flow into digital networks and ancient trade routes return as new pathways of culture and exchange … My hope is that the first edition of Art Basel Qatar becomes a space for these stories to surface.”