Major Appointments Reshape Global Art Institutions in Middle East, Central Asia, and US

In 2025, the art landscape in the Middle East saw considerable growth despite difficulties in the global market. Scheduled for February 2026, Art Basel Qatar will be led by artistic director Wael Shawky. Lina Ghotmeh has been tasked with creating Qatar's permanent pavilion for the Venice Biennale. In April, Alexie Glass-Kantor took on the role of curatorial executive director at Art Dubai Group, while Dunja Gottweis was appointed director for Art Dubai 2026. The third Diriyah Biennale has appointed Nora Razian and Sabih Ahmed as artistic directors. Vyjayanthi Rao will curate the third Sharjah Architecture Triennial alongside associate curator Tau Tavengwa. Additionally, Sara Raza will head the Centre for Contemporary Art in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, set to open in March 2026. The Asian Art Museum in San Francisco named Soyoung Lee as its new director and CEO, following Jay Xu's tenure. In June, Hitomi Iwasaki was selected as head curator and director of curatorial affairs at New York's Noguchi Museum.