Qatar Museums proudly unveiled yesterday the opening of three major exhibitions at Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Qatar’s leading institution for modern and contemporary art. These exhibitions offer a unique opportunity to explore the rich landscape of contemporary art from Qatar and beyond. On view from 19 April to 9 August 2025, the lineup includes a major survey of Qatari art from the 1960s to the present, the first comprehensive exhibition dedicated to the late Qatari artist Wafa al-Hamad, and a groundbreaking international showcase of film and video art from the Middle East, Africa, and Southeast Asia.
The exhibitions were unveiled by Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairperson of Qatar Museums, in the attendance of Mohammed Saad Al Rumaihi, CEO, Qatar Museums, Sheikh Hassan bin Mohamed bin Ali Al Thani, Mathaf President and Sheikh Abdulla bin Ali Al Thani, Chairman of Media City Qatar, among other dignitaries.
Qatar: Close to My Soul, Art from the Collection of Abdulla bin Ali Al Thani showcases the evolution of Qatari art from the late 1960s to today. Inspired by the well-known poem and song by Adullah Al-Hammadi, “Allah ya ‘Omri Qatar”, the exhibition is organised around three sections that explore the beauty of the country's natural landscape and architecture, portraits of society, and the art of abstraction. These visual interpretations serve as self-expression as well as a cultural response to the rapidly changing local environment, and collectively they form a distinctive visual language that engages with the broader regional art discourse. Highlights include notable artworks, including Faraj Daham’s Sealine Landscape (1996), Jameela Al-Shraim The Victory (1984), among many others.
On view simultaneously, Wafa al-Hamad: Sites of Imagination will be the first solo museum exhibition dedicated to the late Qatari artist. Known for her experimentation with abstraction, al-Hamad’s paintings of figures and landscapes incorporate vibrant colours and organic shapes while also paying homage to Qatari traditions. This exhibition will highlight the artist’s evolving style over her forty-year career and her lasting legacy as an artist and educator. In addition to her paintings, the exhibition focuses on Al-Hamad’s connection to other pioneering Arab women artists, including Madiha Omar, Nadira Mahmoud, Balqees Fakhro, Samia Halabyand Naziha Salem.. Among the highlights are al-Hamad’s The Tower of Barzan and Optical Illusion, both from 1985, showcased alongside a range of other significant pieces.
The exhibitions are also presented alongside Your Ghosts Are Mine: Expanded Cinemas, Amplified Voices, featuring the work of more than 40 filmmakers and video artists from the Arab world, Africa, and Southeast Asia. The exhibition explores themes such as exile, migration, and the complex dynamics of transnational crossings. Originally presented during the 60th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale in 2024, it unfolds across ten immersive sections in seven galleries, each dedicated to themes such as deserts (cradles of civilization and places of rebirth), ruins (relics of culture), borders (demarcations between allowed and forbidden places), and exile. Among the many remarkable works on view are Sophia Al Maria’s Black Friday (2016), Wael Shawky’s Al Araba Al Madfuna Part III (2016), and Hassan Khan’s Jewel (2010).
All three exhibitions offer a compelling reflection of the country’s artistic journey, providing the public with an exciting opportunity to explore the intersection of local traditions, personal expression and global artistic trends through a range of diverse creative visions and expressions. They are presented as part of the Spring 2025 Season of Qatar Creates, a platform dedicated to amplifying the voices of Qatar’s creative industries and promoting cultural activities across Qatar.
For more information on this season's cultural events in Doha and the exciting lineup of exhibitions by Qatar Creates, visit:
https://qm.swoogo.com/qmspring2025/7703945?reg_type_id=821985&ref=LC
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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 and expands the nation’s cultural offerings, sharing art and culture from Qatar, the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia (MENASA) 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, and amplify the voices of Qatar’s people. Since its founding in 2005, QM has overseen the development of museums and festivals including the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) and MIA Park, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, the National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ), 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum, QM Gallery Al Riwaq, QM Gallery Katara, the Tasweer Qatar Photo Festival, and Design Doha. Future projects include Dadu: Children’s Museum of Qatar, Art Mill Museum, Qatar Auto 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, M7, the creative hub for innovation, fashion and design, 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 Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art
Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art serves as the Arab world's leading modern and contemporary art museum. The Museum offers a welcoming and vibrant environment that invites evolving discussions about modern art in the region and beyond. Home to a permanent collection that offers a distinctively unique comprehensive overview of modern and contemporary art from North Africa, Southwest Asia and connected regions, Mathaf ("museum" in Arabic) also performs a vital role as a centre for dialogue and scholarship and a resource for fostering creativity. Mathaf was opened in 2010 by Qatar Museums in partnership with Qatar Foundation (QF) and is located in Education City. The Museum was founded by H.E. Sheikh Hassan bin Mohammed bin Ali Al Thani, who began collecting in the 1980s with the acquisition of works by Qatari artistsShortly after, he broadened his focus to include works by 20th-century artists throughout Southwest Asia, North Africa, and the wider Arab Diaspora. The initial group of works assembled by Sheikh Hassan was donated to the public institution, and has grown since to become one of the largest collections on Arab art . Over the past decade, Mathaf has made significant contributions to research and debate around modern and contemporary art, which are made available to scholars and audiences through its diverse exhibition programmes and the online platform Mathaf Encyclopedia of Modern Art and the Arab World. The Museum made itself a meeting point for scholars from across the region expanding its collaboration through education programmes, conferences, and publications. It has served as a dynamic platform for artists by facilitating the creation and exploration of contemporary works. Zeina Arida serves as director.
Media Contact:
Lamis Nasser
Wasay Mir