Doha, Qatar: Art Basel Qatar on Tuesday unveils the exhibitors participating in its second edition and announces details for a new year-round market development platform — reaffirming Art Basel Qatar’s role as the premiere art show for the MENASA region and demonstrating Art Basel's commitment to further developing the regional arts ecosystem and growing the international art market. The second edition of Art Basel Qatar, presented in partnership with Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) and QC+ with Visit Qatar as the fair’s lead partner, marks a clear evolution in the fair’s long-term vision. Its year-round market development program will deepen collector relationships, support galleries, and sustain momentum between editions. Launching in October 2026, ahead of the 2027 fair, the ‘Collectors Majlis’ will offer masterclasses and workshops alongside invitation-led encounters, cultural experiences, collection visits, salons, and practical sessions. Bringing together local and international collectors, galleries, and institutions, the initiative extends Art Basel Qatar’s role beyond fair week and contributes to the region’s cultural and market development. More information is provided below.
The 2027 edition continues its solo presentation format following the success of the inaugural edition. Each solo presentation responds to the curatorial theme ‘between / بين’, conceived under the artistic direction of Iraqi curator Wassan Al-Khudhairi in close collaboration with Vincenzo de Bellis, Chief Artistic Officer and Global Director of Fairs at Art Basel, which enables galleries to present more ambitious and considered projects, while offering audiences a deeper encounter with each artist’s practice. The show will unfold across two key venues – M7 and Doha Design District — as well as selected public sites in Msheireb Downtown Doha, the city’s creative and cultural heart.
More than a third of participating galleries in the second edition operate spaces in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia, and approximately 60 international galleries from Europe, North America, Latin America, Africa, and Asia Pacific — including Brazil, Argentina, Philippines, South Africa, Netherlands, Canada, Norway, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Portugal, United Kingdom, and the United States – will take part in the 2027 edition. This creates a dialogue between regional artistic production and international market infrastructure, reinforcing Qatar’s role as a meeting point for global cultural exchange.
- A significant majority of artists presented in the show hail from the MENASA region, including Mohammed Alfaraj, Monira Al Qadiri, Dana Awartani, Ibrahim El-Salahi, Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, Hassan Hajjaj, Yazan Khalili, Waqas Khan, Seher Shah, Shahzia Sikander, Vian Sora, and many others.
- Notable gallery participations from the region include Athr (Jeddah), Green Art Gallery (Dubai), Gypsum (Egypt), Lawrie Shabibi (Dubai), Tabari Art Space (Dubai), Hafez Gallery (Jeddah, Riyadh), al markhiya gallery (Doha), Sfeir-Semler Gallery (Beirut, Hamburg), The Third Line (Dubai), Leila Heller (Dubai), Le Violon Bleu (Tunis), Marfa Projects (Beirut), Chemould Prescott Road (Mumbai).
- Homegrown galleries from the region that are participating in their first Art Basel fair include Efie Gallery (Dubai), Iyad Qanazea (Abu Dhabi), Le LAB Gallery (Giza), Alhosh Gallery (Doha), Contemporary Art Platform (Kuwait), and Dastan Gallery (Tehran, Toronto).
- International galleries from across Europe, the Americas, and Asia will participate, including Galerie Krinzinger (Vienna), Matthew Marks Gallery (New York), Mendes Wood DM (São Paulo), Jhaveri Contemporary (Mumbai), Sprüth Magers (Berlin), neugerriemschneider (Berlin), Lisson Gallery (London), White Cube (London), The Breeder (Athens), Lia Rumma (Milan), Silverlens (Manila), Acquavella Galleries (New York), David Zwirner (New York), Paula Cooper Gallery (New York), Gagosian (New York), and Sadie Coles HQ (London).
- Over 30 participating galleries will be taking part in Art Basel Qatar for the first time, underscoring the fair’s role as a catalyst for galleries seeking access to a broader international platform.
Noah Horowitz, CEO of Art Basel, said: “Art Basel Qatar was conceived as an enduring platform for the region, and the 2027 edition marks an important next step in bringing our vision to life. Our ambition extends well beyond the fair week: through our new year-round program, we aim to deepen collector engagement between editions and contribute to the sustained growth of the regional art market. This is aligned with our global mission to nurture the next generation of collectors and create new pathways for discovery and exchange.”
Vincenzo de Bellis, Chief Artistic Officer and Global Director of Fairs at Art Basel, said: “Our ambition for Art Basel Qatar is to build a fair that is rooted in its region and resonates around the world. Working with Artistic Director Wassan Al-Khudhairi, whose theme between / بين gives this edition its curatorial focus, we have grown participation from across MENASA and with our Qatari partners we are launching ‘Collectors Majlis’, a year-round program of masterclasses and workshops to strengthen the regional market ahead of the show. We are shaping an edition designed to stimulate growth and open new paths for collectors, galleries, and institutions to connect. It's a model that draws on the strength of Art Basel's global network of fairs while staying distinctly of its place."
Wassan Al-Khudhairi, Artistic Director of Art Basel Qatar 2027, said: “For me, the theme between / بين is a liminal space of possibility, where different perspectives, histories and ideas meet and new ways of seeing emerge. This thinking has shaped our approach to Art Basel Qatar 2027, from the selection of solo-artist presentations to the galleries participating in the show, bringing together artists across generations and at different stages of their careers.
The show explores the dynamic relationship between the MENASA region and the wider world: how global currents have shaped the region, and, equally, how the region’s artistic practices, ideas and cultural histories have shaped, and continue to shape, the world. Through these encounters, we hope to foreground the MENASA region not simply as a place in dialogue with the world, but as an active force in shaping global artistic discourse. between / بين becomes a space for exchange, influence, and new opportunities.”
Artist & Gallery Highlights
Approximately half of participating artists in the 2027 edition hail from MENASA, reinforcing Art Basel Qatar’s commitment to foregrounding artistic voices from the region and adjacent geographies. Participating in partnership with galleries both within the region and globally, presentations selected include Yazan Khalili with Lawrie Shabibi (Dubai), Vian Sora with The Third Line (Dubai), Seher Shah with Green Art Gallery (Dubai), Jumana Abboud with Iyad Qanazea Gallery (Dubai), Waqas Khan with Galerie Krinzinger (Vienna), Paulo Nazareth with Mendes Wood DM (São Paulo, Brussels, Paris, New York), Huda Lutfi with Gypsum Gallery (Cairo), Salah Elmur with Mariane Ibrahim (Paris, Chiago, Mexico City), Naiza H. Khan with Rossi & Rossi (Hong Kong), Dana Awartani with Chemould Prescott Road (Mumbai), Ayesha Singh with Nature Morte (New Delhi), Kamruzzaman Shadhin with Jhaveri Contemporary (Mumbai), Sirak Melkonian with Dastan Gallery (Tehran), Aref El Rayess with Sfeir-Semler Gallery (Beirut, Hamburg), Stéphanie Saadé with Marfa’ Projects (Beirut), Youssef Ahmad with al markhiya gallery (Doha), Mohammad Alfaraj with Athr Gallery (Jeddah, Riyadh, AlUla), Faisal Samra with Hafez Gallery (Jeddah, Riyadh), Chaïbia Talal with Le Violon Bleu (Tunis), Pacita Abad with Silverlens (Manila, New York), Dalal Al-Obaidi with Taymour Grahne Projects (Dubai), and Ihsan Oturmak with Öktem Aykut (Istanbul).
The region’s gallery ecosystem will again be central to the edition. In addition to those listed above, galleries from the Gulf including Tabari Artspace (Dubai), showing Aya Haidar; Contemporary Art Platform (Kuwait City), showing Monira Al Qadiri; and Hafez Gallery (Jeddah, Riyadh), showing Faisal Samra, will be presented alongside participants from the wider Middle East and North Africa. These include Le LAB Gallery (Cairo), showing Moataz Nasr; Saleh Barakat (Beirut), showing Nabil Nahas; Leila Heller (Dubai) showing Marcos Grigorian; and Selma Feriani Gallery (Tunis, Sidi Bou Saïd), showing Nicene Kossentini. They will sit in dialogue with international galleries from across Europe, the Americas, and Asia, including Acquavella Galleries (New York, Palm Beach), showing Andy Warhol; David Zwirner (New York, Los Angeles, London, Hong Kong, Paris), showing Oscar Murillo; Gagosian (New York, Beverly Hills, London, Paris, Le Bourget, Basel, Gstaad, Rome, Athens, Hong Kong) showing Maurizio Cattelan; Matthew Marks Gallery (New York, Los Angeles), showing Ken Price; Sprüth Magers (Berlin, London, Los Angeles, New York), showing Rosemarie Trockel; neugerriemschneider (Berlin), showing Rirkrit Tiravanija; Lisson Gallery (London, Los Angeles, New York, Shanghai), showing Anish Kapoor; White Cube (London, Hong Kong, Paris, New York, Seoul), showing Park Seo-Bo; and Tornabuoni Art (Florence, Milan, Forte dei Marmi, Crans Montana, Paris, Rome), showing Lucio Fontana.
Year-Round Market Development Programs
A key component of Art Basel’s new program will be the ‘Collectors Majlis’, an invite-only pilot masterclass program designed for a cohort of approximately 30 to 40 new, emerging, and art-adjacent collectors. The program will support individuals who are interested in deepening their engagement with art and collecting, while building closer relationships with Art Basel Qatar and the wider art ecosystem. The program will guide participants through a series of pre-fair masterclasses, on-site engagement during Art Basel Qatar, and a post-fair salon, offering practical insight into how the art market works, how art is bought and sold, how collections are built, and how to engage with galleries and artworks with greater confidence. Sessions will be led by Art Basel leadership, collectors, galleries, institutions and key voices from Qatar and the wider regional arts ecosystem, including Her Excellency Sheikha Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairperson, Qatar Museums; Abdulrahman Al Khulaifi, Founder/Director, ARAK; Carly Murphy,Global Head of Collectors and Institutional Relations, Art Basel; Mohammed Rashid Al-Thani, Founding Director, The Institute of Arab and Islamic Art; Noah Horowitz, CEO, Art Basel; Tariq Al Jaidah, Collector; Vincenzo de Bellis, Chief Artistic Officer and Global Director of Art Basel Fairs; Wassan Al-Khudhairi, Artistic Director, Art Basel Qatar.
The initiative will also include a number of international encounters for collectors across Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, India, Greece, and other key locations, with the aim of cultivating a strong and informed collector base in the region and creating more meaningful opportunities for exchange between local, regional, and international art communities.
