Art Basel explains its expansion to Qatar and announces Wael Shawky as artistic director

In the meantime, Art Basel also unveils a new fair format in its Qatar edition: it will depart from the traditional booth model and prioritise an open-format exhibition and an engaging experience.

With a focus on galleries and artists from the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia, the show will explore the theme “Becoming”, which de Bellis describes as “a meditation on humanity’s ongoing transformation and the evolving systems that shape how we live, believe and create meaning”.

Don’t miss: From Paris to the Middle East: here’s what the Louvre Abu Dhabi is bringing to the global art scene

He continues, “The Gulf emerges as a living palimpsest—a region where oral traditions intersect with digital networks, and ancient trade routes are reimagined as contemporary flows of culture and capital. Within this layered context, art becomes a vital conduit, translating systemic shifts into form. It acts not only as a witness to history but as an active force in the continual redefinition of human identity.”

Shawky expresses his delight to work with Art Basel. “The opportunity to explore artistic practices from across the Middle East and North Africa region and beyond, within a framework that values research, narrative, and experimentation, is extremely meaningful to me,” he says. “I look forward to collaborating with galleries and artists to help shape a platform that speaks to the complexity and richness of the region while remaining globally relevant.”

NOW READ

Lea Salonga and other Asian stars shine at the Hollywood Walk of Fame this year

Here’s how Saudi Arabia’s ancient desert will be turned into the next cultural destination in the world

Art Basel Exchange Circle: Lauren Tsai and Henry Chu on why the viewer is indispensable to the art-making process