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Wassan Al-Khudhairi Appointed Artistic Director of Art Basel Qatar 2027

festival-fair · 2026-05-20

Art Basel Qatar has appointed Wassan Al-Khudhairi as the artistic director for its upcoming second edition, titled "between / بين," set for January 28–30, 2027, in Doha. Al-Khudhairi, who has Kuwaiti roots with Iraqi heritage and currently resides in New York, boasts nearly two decades of curatorial experience. Her past roles include leadership positions at the ninth Gwangju Biennale and the sixth Asian Art Biennial, as well as involvement with the 2025 Hawai‘i Triennial. The event will be held at Doha Design District and M7 Cultural Forum, following the innovative framework previously established by Wael Shawky.

Key facts

  • Wassan Al-Khudhairi appointed artistic director of Art Basel Qatar 2027
  • Second edition themed 'between / بين'
  • Fair takes place January 28–30, 2027 in Doha
  • Venues: Doha Design District and M7 Cultural Forum in Msheireb Downtown Doha
  • Al-Khudhairi was founding director of Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art (2007–2012)
  • She served as chief curator and curatorial advisor at Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis (2017–2023)
  • Previous biennials include Gwangju Biennale 2012, Asian Art Biennial 2017–18, Hawai‘i Triennial 2025
  • 2027 edition features scaled-up 'Special Projects' sector with large-scale works

Entities

Artists

  • Wassan Al-Khudhairi
  • Wael Shawky
  • Vincenzo de Bellis

Institutions

  • Art Basel Qatar
  • Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art
  • Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis
  • C/O: Curatorial Office
  • Doha Design District
  • M7 Cultural Forum
  • Gwangju Biennale
  • Asian Art Biennial
  • Hawai‘i Triennial
  • ArtAsiaPacific
  • Curatorial/Office
  • Birmingham Museum of Art
  • Hawaiʻi Triennial
  • Art Basel
  • Barjeel Art Foundation
  • Museum of African American Art
  • Qatar Sports Investments
  • QC+

Locations

  • Doha
  • Qatar
  • New York
  • United States
  • Kuwait
  • Gwangju
  • South Korea
  • Taichung
  • Taiwan
  • Hawai‘i
  • Msheireb Downtown Doha
  • Hawaiʻi
  • St. Louis
  • Sharjah
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Los Angeles

Sources