Wael Shawky shares his vision with The Kurator for the debut of Art Basel Qatar

When Art Basel comes knocking, the global art world listens. But in its freshly minted Qatar edition set to debut February 5–7, 2026, Art Basel isn’t just knocking. It’s kicking down the doors of tradition and staging an audacious reimagining of the art fair experience. No booths. No white cubes. No rote rows of names you already know. Instead: curated intimacy, conceptual depth, and an art-world heavyweight calling the shots – Wael Shawky, one of the Middle East’s most provocative and visionary artists.

Wael Shawky told The Kurator the deeper ambition behind the fair: “Art Basel Qatar is a new kind of art fair that explores artistic practices from the region within a framework that goes beyond presentation and commerce. We aim to engage deeply with the narratives and lived experiences that shape artistic expression in this part of the world. It is a shared responsibility to contribute to a more mature cultural ecosystem that reflects the richness and complexity of the region.”

Best known for his cinematic narratives and radical storytelling – think puppets, mythologies, and colonial critiques – Shawky has been appointed Artistic Director for Art Basel Qatar’s inaugural edition. His influence will ripple across every detail of the fair, which has abandoned the traditional grid format in favor of a format that Vogue can only describe as “couture curation.” Think fewer distractions, more intention. Less spectacle, more substance. Or, as Vincenzo de Bellis, Art Basel’s Chief Artistic Officer, puts it: “placing artistic intention at its core.”

Housed in the sleek concrete cathedral of creativity that is M7, Doha’s powerhouse design hub and spilling across the cosmopolitan sprawl of Msheireb, the fair will be a sensorial immersion into contemporary culture as seen through the lens of the Global South. The theme is becoming – a haunting, timely meditation on transformation, identity, belief systems, and the alchemical evolution of humanity.

It's a framework that invites vulnerability and imagination, placing artists and galleries into a slow, considered dialogue with the region’s rich history and digital present. And this isn’t just a curatorial gesture, it’s a political act. In a global climate of creative homogenization, Art Basel Qatar dares to look inward, asking what it means to create, think, and live from the Gulf outward.

Shawky’s role goes far beyond ceremonial. He will shape not just the theme, but the very architecture of the fair – guiding gallery selections and orchestrating how works will be encountered. His vision has always been baroque, maximalist, and deeply anchored in intellectualism, and here, with Art Basel’s backing, he’s creating a platform unlike anything the global art scene has seen.

And let’s not forget his regional gravitas. Shawky founded MASS Alexandria, a seminal program for emerging artists in Egypt, and was recently named Artistic Director of Doha’s Fire Station, where he has already launched an intensive arts program nurturing the next generation of cultural vanguard.

Art Basel Qatar’s Selection Committee is stacked with heavy hitters: Lorenzo Fiaschi (Galleria Continua), Shireen Gandhy (Chemould Prescott Road), Daniela Gareh (White Cube), Mohammed Hafiz (Athr), Sunny Rahbar (The Third Line), and Gordon VeneKlasen (Michael Werner). The lineup signals not only market power but also a commitment to regional nuance and global dialogue.

Their mandate is solo presentations only. That means galleries won’t be bringing a smorgasbord of artists, they’ll be focusing, distilling, diving deep. Expect ambitious solo exhibitions that feel more like mini-museums than booths, each responding to the central theme, weaving in narrative, process, and provocation.