ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Qatar Pavilion at Venice Biennale Blends Food, Music, and Sculpture

exhibition · 2026-04-15

Curated by Tom Eccles and Ruba Katrib, Qatar's National Pavilion at the Venice Biennale is named "untitled 2026 (a gathering of remarkable people)." It showcases Qatari communal spaces and includes artworks from Rirkrit Tiravanija, Sophia Al-Maria, Tarek Atoui, Alia Farid, and Fadi Kattan. The opening featured an international orchestra with performers such as Lynn Hadib, Mazen Kerbaj, Naghib Shehbenzadeh, Sam Shalai, Ghassan Sahhab, Lucy Railton, and Tomás Gouband. Culinary delights were provided by Noof Al Marri, Noor Murad, and Majed Ali, while Anna Patrowicz handled the mixology. Tiravanija created a tent-like installation, and his outdoor bread oven, "untitled 2025 (no bread no ashes)," is operational. The pavilion is situated in the Giardini.

Key facts

  • Qatar Pavilion at Venice Biennale titled 'untitled 2026 (a gathering of remarkable people)'
  • Curated by Tom Eccles and Ruba Katrib
  • Features Rirkrit Tiravanija, Sophia Al-Maria, Tarek Atoui, Alia Farid, and Fadi Kattan
  • International orchestra included musicians from Syria, Lebanon, Iran, Egypt/Canada, Lebanon, UK, France/Algeria
  • Chefs from Qatar, Bahrain, UAE; mixologist from France
  • Tiravanija's outdoor bread oven in Doha remains active
  • Alia Farid's 'Jerrican' sculptures monumentalize everyday objects
  • Sophia Al-Maria's film will travel to Rubaiya in Doha

Entities

Artists

  • Tom Eccles
  • Ruba Katrib
  • Rirkrit Tiravanija
  • Sophia Al-Maria
  • Tarek Atoui
  • Alia Farid
  • Fadi Kattan
  • Lynn Hadib
  • Mazen Kerbaj
  • Naghib Shehbenzadeh
  • Sam Shalai
  • Ghassan Sahhab
  • Lucy Railton
  • Tomás Gouband
  • Noof Al Marri
  • Noor Murad
  • Majed Ali
  • Anna Patrowicz
  • Sophie Kazan Makhlouf
  • Sofia Al-Maria
  • Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani
  • Myriam Boulos
  • Elias Halabi
  • Lina Ghotmeh
  • Yuqian Fan
  • Fatima Al Qadiri
  • Dali de Saint Paul
  • Sarah Ourahmane
  • Sulafa Elyas
  • Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani
  • Koyo Kouoh
  • Gobi Drab
  • Aya Metwaly
  • Sarah Ourahman
  • Vivian Wang
  • Majed Ali Almatrooshi
  • Vesta Kontrimaviciene
  • Yumna Marwan
  • Paul Matar
  • Brigitte Lacombe
  • Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani

Institutions

  • National Pavilion of Qatar
  • Venice Biennale
  • MIA Park
  • Rubaiya Qatar
  • Canvas magazine
  • UNESCO
  • Qatar Museums
  • Center for Curatorial Studies
  • Hessel Museum of Art
  • Bard College
  • MoMA PS1
  • Canvas
  • Qatar Pavilion
  • ArtAsiaPacific
  • exibart
  • Biennale di Venezia
  • Hangar Bicocca
  • Desert Rose Café
  • Museo Nazionale del Qatar
  • akub London
  • Artribune
  • La Biennale di Venezia
  • 61. Esposizione Internazionale d’Arte
  • Lina Ghotmeh – Architecture
  • Giardini della Biennale
  • Center for Curatorial Studies and the Hessel Museum of Art, Bard College
  • Desert Rose Café at the National Museum of Qatar
  • Biennial Foundation

Locations

  • Venice
  • Italy
  • Giardini
  • Doha
  • Qatar
  • Buenos Aires
  • Argentina
  • Syria
  • Lebanon
  • Iran
  • Egypt
  • Canada
  • UK
  • France
  • Algeria
  • Bahrain
  • UAE
  • MENA region
  • Arab world
  • Gulf
  • Giardini della Biennale
  • Middle East
  • North Africa
  • South Asia
  • Milan
  • Emirati Arabi Uniti
  • Francia
  • Lituania
  • Austria
  • Libano
  • Egitto
  • Regno Unito
  • Singapore
  • Biennale Gardens
  • Arabian Gulf
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Lithuania

Sources