DOHA: Art Basel, the international contemporary art fair, will make its Gulf debut in Doha from Feb. 5 to 7 next year featuring 84 artist presentations by 87 galleries. 

Art Basel Qatar is a partnership between Art Basel, its parent company MCH Group, Qatar Sports Investments, and QC+, a strategic and creative collective specializing in cultural commerce.

Vincenzo De Bellis, chief artistic officer and global director of Art Basel Fairs, told Arab News at a recent press briefing in Doha that the event will reflect the location’s culture.

“The first thing we started thinking was how we can do this differently from the other fairs.

“Because the region, in our opinion, asks for a different format to begin with, a format where the culture of gathering together, being together, is really part of the concept.

“So, I wouldn’t call it a challenge in that case. It was different from what we do, but it was an opportunity.”

Egyptian artist Wael Shawky has been appointed as the artistic director of Art Basel Qatar.

Shawky and a committee will eschew the traditional booth model in favor of an open-format exhibition in which artist presentations respond to a central curatorial theme of “Becoming.”

De Bellis said: “We’ve appointed a selection committee, composed of both international and regional experts, and experts both in contemporary and more modern art.

“By doing this, we cover a lot of both the artistic intentions, conceptual, and also the cultural specificity of the region.”

The fair will unfold across two key venues, M7 and the Doha Design District, as well as selected public sites in Msheireb Downtown Doha, the city’s creative and cultural hub.

Both the format and curatorial direction will bring the concepts of storytelling and dialogue to the fore, offering new ways for galleries, artists, and collectors to engage while maintaining market relevance.

More than half of the artists presented in this first edition hail from the region, including Etel Adnan, Ali Banisadr, Simone Fattal, Ali Cherri, Meriem Bennani and Iman Issa.

Galleries from across the region will participate, including those with outposts in Gulf states including Qatar, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia.

The wider Middle East and Asia will also be represented, including galleries from Lebanon, Turkiye, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia and India.

Saudi Arabia-based galleries participating include Hafez Gallery based in Jeddah and Riyadh, Cairo’s Gallery Misr, Tunis’ Le Violon Bleu, Beirut’s Saleh Barakat Gallery, and Dubai’s Tabari Artspace.

International galleries from across Europe, the Americas and Asia will also participate, including Acquavella Galleries, Gagosian, Hauser & Wirth, Pace Gallery, David Zwirner and White Cube.

Art Basel’s CEO Noah Harrowitz said: “​​Growing the market for galleries, artists, collectors, and patrons around the world is core to Art Basel’s mission.

“So at its heart, Art Basel Qatar is about expanding the conversation and catalyzing the opportunity so present here on the ground in Doha.

“By bringing artists, galleries, and collectors from across the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia, together with Art Basel’s global community and expertise, will create new possibilities for how art is seen, shared, and ultimately collected.”