Cultural Calendar
Fall/Winter 2025–26 season
Exhibitions and Public Art in Doha
A Nation’s Legacy, A People’s Memory: Fifty Years Told
Until 7 February 2026
Venue: National Museum of Qatar
Inaugurated in 1975 in a former royal palace, and later relaunched in a new building designed by renowned architect Jean Nouvel in 2019, the National Museum of Qatar is one of the country’s most prominent cultural landmarks. The museum is more than just a means of exploring the country’s cultural heritage, it is a physical embodiment of history, renewal and Qatari identity. In this 50th-anniversary exhibition visitors can learn about the origins of the museum in the early 1970s, when it was decided that a museum should be built that would capture the traditional Qatari way of life before it was irrevocably lost due to the rapid social and economic changes brought about by the exploitation of the country’s natural resources.
The Rooted Nomad: MF Husain
Until 7 February 2026
Venue: QM Gallery Katara
Maqbool Fida Husain (1915-2011), one of the most famous contemporary Indian artists, continues to demand critical attention for his multi-dimensional practice, which embraced various media formats, defied artistic hierarchies and displaced the divide between high and popular art. The expressions “nomad” and “rooted” counter each other as opposing ideas, but in conjunction create an imaginary panorama in which to locate the complex figure of Husain. Much has been written about him walking barefoot across the nation, sensing the pulse of every day, painting amidst people, witnessing and fathoming the complex and layered land of India. The breadth of experiences he gathered and the evocation of multiple journeys into time and place bring together the ideas of mobility and migration. In a fragmented world marked by increasing displacement, Husain’s art and life have a pressing relevance.
Lehmesa: Return by Moonlight
Until 7 February 2026
Venue: National Museum of Qatar
This is an exhibition about sea turtles, which are native to Qatari waters, with a secific focus on the hawksbill turtle. These creatures are the living representatives of a group of reptiles that has existed on Earth for more than 100 million years. They are a fundamental link in marine ecosystems and help maintain the health of coral reefs and sea grass beds. Four species have been logged in Qatar: the green, hawksbill, olive ridley and loggerhead turtles. Of these, the hawksbill – named for its narrow, pointed beak – is the only one that nests on Qatar’s beaches. However, sea turtles around the world are threatened by loss of habitat, pollution, predators and climate change. The exhibition looks at scientific research that can help us preserve these creatures’ environment and save them from extinction, and promotes important eco-friendly habits that can be adopted by the public.
we refuse_d
Until 9 February 2026
Venue: Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art
For this exhibition Mathaf invited artists to explore the tensions between resilience and action and highlight positions that address the current context of mass migration. The title echoes the German philosopher Hannah Arendt’s essay We Refugees, written in 1943, in which she captures the disquiet, absurdity and delusional optimism engendered by exile, loss and trauma. It also refers to the Salon des Refusés, first held in Paris in 1863, not as a historical parallel but for its symbolism as an exhibition of controversial art and a space of freedom outside the mainstream discourse.
I. M. Pei: Life is Architecture
Until 14 February 2026
Venue: Al Riwaq
The first full-scale retrospective of I. M. Pei appraises the work of one of the greatest architects of the 20th and 21st centuries. Pei’s high-profile projects were realised over seven decades with an exceptionally wide geographic reach, including the National Gallery of Art East Building in Washington, DC, the modernisation of the Louvre in Paris, the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong and the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha. Projects such as these cemented Pei’s position not just in architectural history but in popular culture. The exhibition features a rich selection of drawings, sketches, videos, models, photographs and other archival documentation, much of it on view for the first time. To lend a contemporary lens to Pei’s work, newly commissioned photographs of his buildings by a new generation of photographers will also be on display.
I.M. Pei and the Making of the Museum of Islamic Art: From Square to Octagon and Octagon to Circle
Until 14 February 2026
Venue: Museum of Islamic Art
What is Islamic architecture? What is its essence? These are questions that were posed by the celebrated international architect Ieoh Ming Pei (1917-2019) when he was commissioned by the former Amir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, to build the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) in Doha in 1999. This exhibition, a collaboration between the MIA and the new Art Mill Museum (due to open in 2030), seeks to trace the journey of the museum (which opened in 2008) from the planning stage to the completion of an architectural masterpiece. This is the building and the museum that announced and established Qatar’s presence on the artistic world stage.
Ade’nnsãda!, Where Night Never Falls… Initiating Contemporary Pan-African Dialogues Around Tapestry and the Masterpiece
Until 28 February 2006
Liwan Design Studios and Labs
This exhibition brings together a selection of works by 14 contemporary artists from five African countries whose practices engage regional and international issues through critical, creative and embodied approaches. It is expanded through community engagement activities, including talks and a performance art presentation. The exhibition is curated by the Foundation for Contemporary Art-Ghana (FCA-Ghana) and TM Projects, in collaboration with Liwan Design Studios, ARAK Collection and VCUarts Qatar.
Sneakers Unboxed: Studio to Street
Until 7 March 2026
Venue: 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum
Sneakers Unboxed is a travelling exhibition that tells the story of one of the most universal of design objects, bought and worn by millions of people worldwide every day. Charting the design and cultural journey of sneakers, shoes originally designed for athletic activities, the exhibition explores how they have been adopted as essential signifiers of style, particularly by the young. The exhibition consists of around 500 objects, including more than 200 pairs of sneakers, plus dozens of contextual images, films and archival items.
Countryside: A Place to Live, Not to Leave
Until 29 April 2026
Venue: Qatar Preparatory School and National Museum of Qatar
In 2020 AMO, the research branch of architectural studio Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), led by Samir Bantal and Rem Koolhaas, presented Countryside: The Future at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. Countryside: A Place to Live, Not to Leave builds on that show, exploring often overlooked global hinterlands of a geographical arc from Africa, through the Middle East and Central Asia, to Mongolia and China. This area is significant as it connects three continents that contain 80% of the world’s population. The exhibition argues that the countryside may now offer a more sustainable and humane alternative to urban life, which is increasingly unaffordable and ecologically harmful.
Countryside is a collaboration between AMO, Qatar Museums, Georgetown University and other organisations based in Qatar and beyond. It will establish a laboratory for imagining future rural lives and offer opportunities for engagement with diverse audiences on the exhibition’s themes, while also connecting to future vocational training set to take place at the historic Qatar Preparatory School.
Waters’ Witness
Until 18 May 2026
Venue: Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art
Waters’ Witness is a sound research project focusing on the theme of water by Lebanese artist Tarek Atoui. The installation consists of sculptural and sonic elements, using different materials including marble, metal and ceramics. The work is based on studies and sound recordings carried out by the artist in collaboration with Eric La Casa and Chris Watson. Their aim was to document the human, ecological, historical and industrial contexts of various coastal cities, including Athens, Abu Dhabi, Beirut, Istanbul, Porto, Singapore and Sydney, places where the economic and social life is closely tied to their ports.
Esports | A Game Changer
Until 30 April 2026
Venue: 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum
This exhibition tells the story of the fascinating global phenomenon of esports (short for electronic sports), a form of competition using video games that often takes the form of organised, multiplayer competitions. The exhibition covers the history of esports, socio-cultural challenges, and the future of the movement, as well as the logistical and financial aspects behind it. This exhibition is the first of its kind, a travelling show that experiments with digital kiosks and portals embedded in an inspiring design will include weekly retro esports competitions, featuring games such as Streetfighter II. Accompanying the exhibition will be an esports conference held in January in partnership with the Qatar Economic Forum, Doha Film Institute and Media City, an academic symposium on esports, along with educational workshops for the public and an esports education curriculum for schools.
Empire of Light: Visions and Voices of Afghanistan
2 February 2026–May 2026
Museum of Islamic Art
Created by 15 Qatar-based artists, the works in this exhibition, held as part of Fire Station’s artists-in-residence (AIR) programme, reflect a shared fascination with environments, both external and internal. Whether rooted in the desert, the cosmos, the rituals of daily life or the intimacy of home, each piece is anchored by a central element. Around this anchor layers of meaning unfold, shaped by sensory cues, symbolic gestures and spatial presence. These new works emerged from a nine-month process of research, experimentation and deep inquiry in which the artists were encouraged to challenge their practices by exploring unfamiliar materials, production techniques and conceptual directions. The result is a rich body of work that stirs the senses and opens the imagination: evoking sound, texture, scent and atmosphere.
Resolutions: Celebrating 15 Years at Mathaf
Until 8 August 2026
Venue: Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art
To commemorate Mathaf’s 15th anniversary, Resolutions examines the museum’s evolution through four key areas: its origins as an artistic hub in Doha under Sheikh Hassan bin Mohammed Al Thani’s pioneering efforts; its role as a production site through commissions and exhibitions; its commitment to formal and informal art education across the Arab world; and its contribution to defining Arab identity through modernist representations, particularly in the post-independence era, when artists developed a shared visual language reflecting pan-Arab ideology and resistance to the occupation of Palestine.
A Sneak Peek at Qatar Auto Museum Project
2 February 2026–February 2027
National Museum of Qatar
Design Doha
12 April–30 June 2026
Multiple locations
Design Doha is Qatar’s flagship platform for contemporary design, established by Qatar Museums in 2024 under the leadership of Her Excellency Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. Conceived as more than a biennial, it operates as a long-term cultural and economic platform, positioning design as a driver of creative industry growth, urban innovation and global exchange across the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia (MENASA) region. Led by acting director of Design Doha Fahad Al Obaidly, with Glenn Adamson as artistic director, Noura Al Sayeh as curator of headline exhibition Arab Design Now 2026, and Javier Peña Ibáñez as curator of the Public Design Commissions programme, the biennial brings together participants from 27 countries across the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia and their diasporas. It spans 16 design disciplines, from architecture, furniture, product, and urban planning to crafts, textiles, UX/UI, sound, service, and social design, reflecting design’s full cultural, economic and civic scope. At its core, Arab Design Now 2026 presents the work of 81 designers, artisans and makers.
New Public Art
untitled 2025 (no bread no ashes)
Until 7 February 2026
Location: MIA Park
This project transforms MIA Park into an interactive installation centred on the ovens used by some of Qatar’s diverse communities. These ovens are not only functional tools for baking and cooking but also symbols of shared labour and cultural identity. Inspired by Argentinian artist Victor Grippo’s 1972 performance in Buenos Aires, where communal bread-making fostered engagement, the concept was revived by Rirkrit Tiravanija during Bienalsur 2021 in San Juan, Argentina. In Doha, the installation sits in a circular shaded area between Al Riwaq gallery and the future Art Mill Museum, invites visitors to gather, sit and bake every Friday, enriching the dialogue around food and community.
Rock on Top of Another Rock
Permanent
Location: MIA Park
Peter Fischli and David Weiss’s work consists of two massive granite boulders in seemingly precarious balance, one atop the other. At 5.5 metres tall, it embodies a deceptively simple gesture that oscillates between the binaries of stability and instability, construction and destruction. It was first installed in London’s Kensington Gardens in 2013 as part of the Qatar-UK Year of Culture.
Autorretrao
Until 21 February 2026
Location: Mathaf: Modern Museum of Arab Art
This large-scale sculptural self-portrait by Argentinian artist Gabriel Chaile is inspired by the formal language and materials of the indigenous communities of northeastern Argentina and combines abstract human features with traditional pottery. Chaile is of African-Arab descent and his presentation at Mathaf reflects the museum’s mission to amplify Arab voices in global contemporary art and explore the transnational connections that define Arab identity today. Presented in collaboration with Qatar Museums’ public art programme, as part of Qatar-Argentina and Chile 2025 Year of Culture.