Art Basel Qatar concluded its inaugural edition after a week of exhibitions, performances, and encounters across Doha. Conceived under the artistic direction of Wael Shawky and shaped by the theme Becoming, the fair unfolded in an open format across M7 – Msheireb Cultural Forum and the Doha Design District, with public interventions concentrated in Msheireb Downtown Doha. 

Highlights moved between the show floor and the city. A surprise opening moment by Jenny Holzer took place at the Museum of Islamic Art, where large-scale text projections and a choreographed drone performance briefly transformed the night sky. In Msheireb Downtown Doha, nine Special Projects – ranging from large-scale installations to live performances – extended the fair into public space. 

Inside the fair, presentations by 87 galleries brought together artists from the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia alongside leading international voices, foregrounding dialogue across generations and geographies. Art Basel’s flagship talks program Conversations – co-presented with Qatar Creates Talks – created space for exchange between artists, curators, and cultural leaders, including Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Glenn Lowry, and Sumayya Vally. Meanwhile, events and artistic interventions enriched the fair experience throughout the week – from culinary creations events by food artist Laila Gohar to the Art Basel Shop’s unique products inspired by Qatar and custom-designed uniforms by Qatari artist Bouthayna Al Muftah. 

These moments shaped Art Basel Qatar’s first edition and marked the emergence of a new platform for artistic exchange and public engagement in the Gulf.