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Wassan Al‑Khudhairi Named Artistic Director of Art Basel Qatar 2027

Organizers say her appointment will prioritize curatorial programming to grow audiences, institutions, and a sustainable market rather than chase immediate sales.

Overview

  • Art Basel appointed Iraqi curator Wassan Al‑Khudhairi to lead the second Art Basel Qatar, which is scheduled to run January 28–30, 2027 with preview days on January 26–27 across Doha Design District and M7.
  • Al‑Khudhairi has set the fair’s theme as “between,” a concept she describes as probing exchange, ambiguity, and connection across geographies and generations.
  • The fair will keep the inaugural edition’s solo‑presentation model for galleries and will enlarge its Special Projects sector to include more site‑specific and immersive works.
  • Al‑Khudhairi succeeds Egyptian artist Wael Shawky and brings deep regional experience and institutional credentials, including founding directorship of Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art.
  • Art Basel frames the Doha project as a multi‑year effort to build audiences, museums, and a local market rather than a one‑off sales event, and gallery applications for the 2027 edition are now open.