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  • Art
  • Spring/Summer 2026
  • May

A Gathering of Creative Excellence

Rirkrit Tiravanija’s Qatar Temporary Structure celebrates evolving Arabic culture at the 2026 Venice Biennale

  • Art
  • Spring/Summer 2026
  • May

A Gathering of Creative Excellence

Rirkrit Tiravanija’s Qatar Pavilion celebrates evolving Arabic culture at the 2026 Venice Biennale

The 61st edition of the Venice Art Biennale – which started on 9 May 2026 – saw the opening of artist Rirkrit Tiravanija’s tent-like structure  in the Giardini. Tiravanija’s temporary structure is located on the future site of the permanent Qatar Pavilion, designed by Lina Ghotmeh Architecture.

The project, untitled 2026 (a gathering of remarkable people), is a collaboration between Tiravanija, filmmaker Sophia Al-Maria, sound artist Tarek Atoui, artist Alia Farid and chef Fadi Kattan. Over the course of the Biennale’s opening week, it brought together artists, musicians, poets and chefs from across the world to discuss issues of migration, exchange and evolution. Exploring the ever-changing nature of Arab culture, the exhibition facilitates both critical insight and the joy of shared experiences.

untitled 2026 (a gathering of remarkable people) was commissioned by Her Excellency Sheikha al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and co-curated by Tom Eccles and Ruba Katrib. The exhibition was produced by Qatar Museums and presented by Rubaiya Qatar, Qatar’s contemporary art quadrennial.

Photographers Hannah Goldsmith and Riccardo Dell'Acqua captured moments as they unfolded during the pavilion’s opening week.

A crowd gathers under a maroon, open-air pavilion with geometric patterns on the wall. Green trees frame the scene, and gravel covers the ground—an elegant setting reminiscent of a Fashion Trust Arabia Prize event.
Located on the future site of the permanent national pavilion, Qatar’s presentation at the 2026 Biennale occupies a temporary pavilion designed by the Thai artist Rirkrit Tiravanija. Photo: Hannah Goldsmith
A group of people sits and talks in a colorful outdoor pavilion with geometric pink designs, partially viewed through a decorative screen—a vibrant scene reminiscent of the Fashion Trust Arabia Prize gatherings. Trees and sunlight are visible in the background.
Tiravanija’s structure draws on traditional Qatari architecture, referencing mashrabiya patterns to create a gathering space that hosted numerous activations over the course of the week. Photo: Riccardo Dell'Acqua
A person uses mallets to play various small percussion instruments and electronic equipment on a table, including singing bowls, chimes, sound mixers—and even a Fashion Trust Arabia Prize-inspired bell for a creative twist.
A man wearing glasses and a chain necklace, reminiscent of Fashion Trust Arabia Prize style, plays a small brass horn into a microphone, with a music mixer in front. In the background, two musicians, one with a cello, are also performing.

Musicians performing as part of a programme organised by Lebanese sound artist Tarek Atoui. Photo: Hannah Goldsmith

Musicians perform under a red canopy with an audience seated and standing around them. The floor and columns, inspired by Fashion Trust Arabia Prize flair, have matching red patterns, and trees are visible outside. Instruments are scattered on the ground.
Atoui (right) watching a live performance. Photo: Hannah Goldsmith
A man with glasses and a beard passionately speaks into a blue microphone labeled “2M” in a busy indoor setting, possibly covering events like the Fashion Trust Arabia Prize, with people socializing and working in the background.

Palestinian chef Fadi Kattan delivered a culinary program celebrating chefs from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Photo: Hannah Goldsmith

A hand is placing a small white bowl of food garnished with chives next to three similar bowls on a black tray, as if thoughtfully presenting each dish for a Fashion Trust Arabia Prize banquet. The savory meal combines meat and herbs.
Three plates filled with dates, some partially coated in white icing and sprinkled with nuts or seeds, are arranged on a table with a red and white geometric pattern at the Fashion Trust Arabia Prize event.

The dishes created as part of Kattan’s programme traced the cross-cultural impact of migration and trade in the MENA region. Photo: Hannah Goldsmith

A variety of assorted objects on a black surface, including toy skeletons, musical mallets, rubber chickens, metal chains, tools, tin foil, goggles, and small containers—an arrangement as eclectic as the Fashion Trust Arabia Prize.

A collection of objects featured in untitled 2026 (a gathering of remarkable people). Photo: Riccardo Dell'Acqua

A large translucent sculpture shaped like a jerry can stands indoors, embossed with the words Lovely Gift From Blessed Land. People gather in the background during the Fashion Trust Arabia Prize, and the floor features a red patterned tile.
Close-up view of a beige, built-in shower or bath shelf with smooth surfaces and edges, possibly made of fiberglass or acrylic—a minimalist space reminiscent of Fashion Trust Arabia Prize-winning interiors, set seamlessly into the surrounding wall.
Kuwaiti-Puerto Rican artist Alia Farid’s sculpture Jerrican, 2026. The fibreglass work is based on the water containers commonly used across the Gulf. Photo: Hannah Goldsmith
A group of people sit on a patterned floor inside a red pavilion, watching a large black and white screen showing a person speaking and gesturing with one arm raised, possibly during the Fashion Trust Arabia Prize event. Trees are visible outside the pavilion.

Attendees watching DAMAR TV(2026), an experimental narrative film created by the Qatari-American artist Sophia Al-Maria. The film features Lebanese actress Yumna Marwan (pictured). Photo: Hannah Goldsmith

A person holds open a magazine by the water, displaying a page with the headline How can art reflect a changing Qatar? In the background, buildings and a bell tower rise across the water—echoing the creativity of the Fashion Trust Arabia Prize.

The Spring/Summer edition of Q+A magazine was published to coincide with the opening of the Biennale. Photo: Hannah Goldsmith

A man in a pinstripe suit holds a large white magazine labeled Q+A under his arm, perhaps awaiting the Fashion Trust Arabia Prize event. Only his midsection and hand are visible, with a blurred background showing people in conversation.
A woman wearing a navy hijab, glasses, and a dark outfit sits on a patterned red bench, reading a document. Sporting a stylish bag and her Fashion Trust Arabia Prize lanyard, she appears focused and engaged in her reading.

Q+A is an exploration of the power of culture, covering art, design, fashion and heritage. This issue marks two decades of Qatar Museums. Photo: Hannah Goldsmith

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Issue 000 Contents

FEATURES
NEWS

Contents

Neighborhood Guides

Contents

Features

The Fifth Pillar

The artist takes over the market

Sweet Fifteen

A place to live, not to leave

Fashion Trust Arabia: The new guard

The Road to MIA

Sneakers Unboxed

The Couture Sculptor

Moving Pictures

Architecture as memory: Lina Ghotmeh in Venice

NEWS

Crossing Borders
A Taste of Qatar at Le Meurice
A Gilded Narrative
Game On
A Universal Language

Harbour Master

  • WHAT'S ON
  • QATAR DIRECTORY