Qatar Museums is pleased to unveil Privileged Points, a major sculptural installation by celebrated contemporary artist Nairy Baghramian, now on view at the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) Park. This striking addition to Qatar’s growing Public Art Collection exemplifies Qatar Museums’ mission to make exceptional contemporary art accessible to all and to spark dialogue between cultures, histories, and environments.
The artwork was unveiled by Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairperson of Qatar Museum, in the presence of His Excellency Dr. Ali Salehabadi, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the state of Qatar and Mohammed Saad Al Rumaihi, CEO, Qatar Museums.
Nairy Baghramian is widely recognised for her sculptural practice that draws on architectural elements and the human body to explore how time, space, and social contexts intersect with language, memory, and contemporary life. Her works invite viewers to reconsider their relationship with surrounding spaces and to reflect on how form and meaning evolve across settings.
Sheikha Reem Al Thani, Acting Deputy CEO of Exhibitions, Public Art, and Rubayia at Qatar Museums, stated, “With Privileged Points, Nairy Baghramian explores ideas of space, balance, and material in a way that resonates strongly with its setting at MIA Park. The work exemplifies our mission to bring bold, thought-provoking contemporary art into the public realm, art that invites reflection, challenges perception, and sparks dialogue across cultures. We are proud to include this important work in Qatar Museums’ Public Art Collection.”
Privileged Points was first exhibited in 2017 at the fifth edition of Skulptur Projekte Münster, one of the world’s most significant platforms for public art. The work forms part of an ongoing series of sculptures that can be reconfigured in different arrangements and adapted to various sites.
Now installed against the beautiful backdrop of MIA, Privileged Points consists of tubular bronze forms coated in soft pastel lacquer, resting delicately on bulbous, drip-like bases. The use of muted tones and the sculpture’s organic composition allow it to respond sympathetically and in dialogue with its environment.
The work addresses traditional sculptural questions of mass and weightlessness, form and colour, stability and performance. Through its careful interplay of balance and openness, Privileged Points merges historical and contemporary influences, techniques, and materials. In doing so, it encourages audiences to explore connections across cultures and time, and to reflect on the shared creativity that shapes the human experience.
This unveiling is part of Qatar Museums’ ongoing investment in public art and cultural dialogue, transforming the country’s urban and natural landscapes into dynamic platforms for creativity and exchange.
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About Qatar Museums
Qatar Museums (QM), the nation's preeminent institution for art and culture, provides authentic and inspiring cultural experiences through a growing network of museums, heritage sites, festivals, public art installations, and programmes. QM preserves, restores, and expands the nation's cultural offerings and historical sites, sharing art and culture from Qatar, the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia (MENASA) region with the world and enriching the lives of citizens, residents, and visitors.
Under the patronage of His Highness the Amir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and led by its Chairperson, Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, QM has made Qatar a vibrant centre for the arts, culture, and education in the Middle East and beyond. QM is integral to the goal of developing an innovative, diverse, and progressive nation, bringing people together to ignite new thinking, spark critical cultural conversations, educate and encourage environmental stewardship and sustainable practices, and amplify the voices of Qatar's people. Since its founding in 2005, QM has overseen the Museum of Islamic Art and MIA Park, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, the National Museum of Qatar, QM Gallery Al Riwaq, QM Gallery Katara and the 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum. Future museums include Dadu, Children's Museum of Qatar, Qatar Auto Museum, Art Mill Museum and the Lusail Museum.
Through its newly created Creative Hub, QM also initiates and supports projects—such as the Fire Station Artist in Residence, the Tasweer Qatar Photo Festival, the creative hub for innovation, fashion and design M7, and Liwan Design Studios and Labs —that nurture artistic talent and create opportunities to build a strong and sustainable cultural infrastructure.
Animating everything that Qatar Museums does is an authentic connection to Qatar and its heritage, a steadfast commitment to inclusivity and accessibility, and a belief in creating value through invention
About Public Art
Qatar Museums' extensive programme of public art demonstrates its commitment to bringing art directly to the people and expanding everyone's creative horizons. Highlights of the public artworks on view, which enrich the lives of all citizens, include the neon installation A Blessing in Disguise by Ghada Al Khater at the Fire Station: Artists in Residence; Smoke, a sculpture by Tony Smith at the Doha Exhibition & Convention Centre; East-West/West-East, a monumental sculpture in the heart of the Qatar desert by Richard Serra; Gandhi's Three Monkeys by Subodh Gupta at Katara Cultural Village; and Maman, a sculpture by Louise Bourgeois in the form of a giant steel spider at the Qatar National Convention Centre, Qatar Foundation. QM also collaborates with the Hamad International Airport (HIA), where major artworks created by local, regional, and international artists—including Adel Abdessemed, Ahmed Al Bahrani, Dia al-Azzawi, Mubarak Al Malik, Salman Al-Malik, Amal Al Rabban, Tom Claassen, Urs Fischer, Ali Hassan, KAWS, Tom Otterness, and Bill Viola—can be seen. QM also supports a variety of initiatives that aim to engage with contemporary artists in Qatar, an ”Annual Intervention” open call inviting artists to propose a permanent placemaking public artwork; the “Temporary Public Art” open call, inviting early-career artists; i.e students and alumni recently graduated to create a temporary public artwork to be placed in Liwan Design Studios and Labs; and JEDARIART, an annual programme activating the city walls bringing together artists through murals to enrich daily life and encourage the community to reflect on social, historical, and cultural issues. Each year, the public art program also presents World Wide Walls: Doha, a week-long mural festival exclusive to the MENA region. Architect Abdulrahman Ahmed Al-Ishaq serves as Director of QM's Public Art department - Remove this in AR
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