Art Basel in Qatar 2026, February 4

Conversations | Blueprints for the future: Gulf urbanism, heritage and renewal

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Sheikha Hala bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, artist, creative industries consultant, Manama&nbsp; Fatma Ebrahim Al Sehlawi, Director of Qatar Blueprint, Co-Founder of Atlas Bookstore, Doha&nbsp; Glenn Lowry, Director Emeritus, The Museum of Modern Art, New York Moderator: Dr. Jelena Trkulja, Senior Advisor for Academic and Cultural Affairs, Qatar Museums Across the Gulf, a new wave of national planning is treating heritage, landscape, and community life as sources of creative momentum. The Qatar Blueprint project is mapping the country, aiming to rethink zoning, revive historic villages, and activate overlooked regions. In&nbsp;AlUla, a long-term cultural landscape strategy shows how archaeology, preservation, and sensitive development can support a thriving creative economy. In Bahrain, the Pearling Path in Muharraq demonstrates heritage-led urban regeneration and community revitalization. Together, these initiatives point to a new regional planning paradigm for the Gulf&nbsp;–&nbsp;rooted in place, responsive to community, and open to bold experimentation.&nbsp; Sheikha Hala Mohammed Al Khalifa&nbsp;is an established artist and a cultural leader known for her positive engagement within the art and cultural scene both locally and internationally. In addition to teaching art at the university level throughout her career, she has held various positions at cultural institutions that carried responsibilities related to the advancement of the artistic landscape, as well as taking part in local,&nbsp;regional&nbsp;and&nbsp; international art exhibitions as both an organizer and participant. Fatma Ebrahim Al Sehlawi&nbsp;is a Doha-based architect, urbanist, and beekeeper. Since 2020, Fatma has been the director of the Qatar Blueprint Think Tank, a project planning the cultural activation of Qatar’s eight municipalities embedded in Qatar Museums’ Chairperson Office. She is the cofounder of Atlas Bookstore (2015), specialized in the natural and built environments of the Arab world, and cofounder of Studio Imara (2020), an architecture and design practice, both based in Msheireb Downtown Doha’s Design District. Glenn Lowry is the 2025 Chaire du Louvre, and the director emeritus of the Museum of Modern Art, New York (MoMA). During his tenure at MoMA (1995–2025), he dramatically expanded the collection; oversaw the physical transformation of the museum’s campus through two building campaigns that more than doubled the size of MoMA’s galleries; quintupled its endowment; created an education and research center; and inspired a new model for the presentation of Modern and contemporary art. Dr. Jelena Trkulja&nbsp;is&nbsp;the&nbsp; senior&nbsp;advisor for academic and cultural affairs at Qatar Museums (QM) and the editorial director of QC Talks. She has taught art, architecture, and modern design at universities in the US and Europe, led heritage and cultural projects, and worked in museums and galleries, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art. At QM, she develops educational and cultural diplomacy initiatives, and&nbsp;curates&nbsp;programs that foster dialogue and collaboration among museums, universities, artists, and architects. Art Basel Conversations x Qatar Creates Talks

From Hong Kong to Basel, dive into our rich archive of talks and debates, featuring leading voices of the art world and beyond

Discover all past Conversations

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