As Art Basel’s first MENA representative and active member of multiple major arts initiatives in the Arab world, there are few better versed in the region’s art scene than Alia Al-Senussi. Here she presents her guide to the events you shouldn’t miss this year.

Art Basel Qatar, Doha, Qatar Feb 5 – 7

Not only does Art Basel Qatar center artists from the Arab world, it really celebrates Qatar’s blossoming cultural institutions. The design district in Msheireb is at the heart of the rejuvenation of Doha and it’s so fitting that our debut Middle Eastern fair will be here. Msheireb has a charming juxtaposition of traditional mud structures and very modern town squares, such as the one where you find M7, the creative work and exhibition space that is one of the venues hosting the fair. Our artistic director, the Egyptian artist Wael Shawky, has commissioned nine sculptures in a public art project throughout the neighborhood. I’m incredibly excited to see Nour Jaouda’s and Sumayya Vally’s works – both are friends who I have long supported in their practices, and who have deep ties to the Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah.

Around Doha: Pearling, dhow boats, and Richard Serra

I am famous – infamous, even – for my love of walking around cities. What’s particularly special about Doha is that there are pockets to be found within neighborhoods, like Katara village, where you are surrounded by traditional artisans. The Ned to Art Basel is an easy 15 minutes-walk. I can also travel by dhow, a small sailboat like those used for pearling, once the main form of trade in Doha, as it is in Bahrain, where the celebrated Pearling Path recently opened – a cultural trail that goes from oyster beds through the old city of Muharraq. Meanwhile, in the desert in Qatar, you can find Richard Serra’s East-West/West-East (2014), arguably one of the greatest public sculptures in the world.

The Diriyah Biennale, Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, Jan 30 – May 2

I’ve been involved in the Diriyah Biennale Foundation since day minus-one. It operates two separate biennales on alternating years: the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale in Riyadh, in its third edition this year, and the Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah. The contemporary edition has evolved beyond my wildest dreams, from something relatively contained within the JAX district to an expansive celebration of the Saudi art scene and the city of Diriyah. The former warehouses of JAX were envisioned by the Ministry of Culture as the next cultural district, creating a dialogue with the historical sites in Diriyah, the birthplace of the kingdom. It’s now a hub for artists’ studios and the center of hipster life. Knowledge exchange is at the very heart of the biennale, with local artists showing alongside international practitioners. This year I’m extremely excited that the work of nephew and aunt, Pio and Pacita Abad, is included – the idea of family units and the familial line is at the heart of Saudi Arabian society.

Shamalat, Diriyah, Saudi Arabia

One of the grandes dames of modern and contemporary Saudi art, Maha Malluh, whose work was placed in conversation with Richard Long’s at the biennale’s first edition, curated by Philip Tinari, is a key figure in terms of her multifaceted practice mixing contemporary culture and ancient traditions. She’s worked with SYN architects – her daughter Sara Alissa is one half of the partnership – who represented Saudi Arabia at last year’s architecture biennale in Venice, to restore a beautiful mud house in old Diriyah. The result is Shamalat: an exhibition space, residency, incredible restaurant, and craft boutique showcasing the wares of different makers.

Desert X, AlUla Arts Festival, AlUla, Saudi Arabia, to Feb 28

Desert X, AlUla’s public sculpture exhibition, is curated by Wejdan Reda and Zoé Whitley this year. New temporary works by younger names like Saudi-Yemini Sara Abdu and Saudi Mohammad Alfaraj as well as established greats like the Sudanese painter Ibrahim El-Salahi, are shown alongside the remnants of previous editions scattered around the valleys, offset by the majesty of ancient rock formations and inscriptions and tombs from early civilizations. For so long, there was a misconception in the West that these are brand new countries and artists and this helps correct that notion. For me, 2026 is about everyone coming together and celebrating all the hard work that we have done to bring the region’s art scene to this point, and also that, finally, others are able to come and understand that all this exists and has existed for a very long time.

Dana Awartani, Saudi Arabia Pavilion, Venice Biennale, May 9 – Nov 22

The Palestinian Saudi artist Dana Awartani has been meticulous in her research into areas of cultural destruction, and also reconstituting and celebrating her heritage. Her presentation at the first Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale was a landmark moment for Saudi artists; she recreated a 14th-century tiled floor destroyed by bombing in Palestine, which was staged last year at the Arnolfini in Bristol, UK. Currently she is in a three-person exhibition at Goodwood Art Foundation in West Sussex, UK, (to April 12) in which her floor composition in sand is paired with a video of her sweeping the work away, first shown in ‘safar’, the 2017 edition of the Saudi Art Council’s 21,39 Jeddah Arts. We are all holding our breath to see what will unfold in her presentation at the Saudi pavilion in Venice.

The Opening of Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, December

As a proud founding member of the Guggenheim Middle East Circle – now WANASA (West Asia, North Africa, and South Asia) Circle – I am waiting with great excitement for the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi to open. The team there have been very thoughtful in how they’ve built a collection that reflects global connections and have amassed serious holdings of East Asian, Asian, Arab, and African artists.

Alserkal Avenue and Dubai

Alserkal Avenue is not just at the core of what is happening in Dubai, and the wider UAE, but also for artists, galleries, and collectors around the whole MENASA region. You have the Ishara Art Foundation, dedicated to work by artists from South Asia, and tone-setting galleries like Third Line. The Jameel Arts Centre is also a lodestar in Dubai. A winner of Art Basel’s Emerging Artist Award 2025, Mohammad Alfaraj, just closed his first institutional solo show there.

Hayy Jameel and Al Balad, Jeddah

Jeddah, the city that hosts the Islamic Arts Biennale, is also home to the sister space of Jameel Arts Centre: Hayy Jameel. It’s currently showing the ‘Jameel Prize: Moving Images’ (until April 15) – the prize created by London’s V&A for art inspired by Islamic culture. I’ve never experienced anything like the Japanese festival there two years ago: young people breaking out into song, doing TikTok dances, comedy skits: a Saudi Arabia that I never would have imagined. It’s a city where we are constantly reminded of ancient trade routes and the connections that societies have with each other. Al Balad, the historical old town, was an important stop for pilgrims on their journey to Mecca – and for travelers for millennia before.