Art Basel has launched its first fair in Qatar, adopting a novel format distinct from its other global events. The fair, featuring 87 galleries, requires each to present only one artist and is spread across multiple venues in Doha's Msheireb cultural district, with an open-plan, museum-like layout and special commissioned projects. Artist Wael Shawky serves as artistic director, emphasizing curatorial coherence over commercialism.
The event signals a strategic shift for Art Basel, aiming to engage deeply with a new region by focusing on individual artistic trajectories and fostering institutional acquisitions. It seeks to balance global blue-chip galleries with a strong representation of artists from Southwest Asia and North Africa, targeting Qatar's museum ecosystem and international institutional collectors, thereby potentially establishing a new model for art fairs in the Middle East.