Art Basel Qatar Names Wassan Al-Khudhairi to Lead Its 2027 Edition
Art Basel has appointed Iraqi curator Wassan Al-Khudhairi as artistic director of Art Basel Qatar 2027, placing a seasoned regional voice at the center of the fair’s next chapter in Doha. She will work with Vincenzo de Bellis, Art Basel’s chief artistic officer and global director of fairs, and succeeds Egyptian artist Wael Shawky, who shaped the inaugural edition earlier this year.
The 2026 debut, which opened in February, was organized entirely around solo artist presentations and brought together about 87 galleries under the theme “Becoming.” For its second edition, Art Basel Qatar will return from January 28 to 30, 2027, with preview days on January 26 and 27. The newly announced curatorial theme, “between / بين,” signals a shift toward exchange, fluidity, and open-ended dialogue rather than fixed categories.
Al-Khudhairi’s appointment also underscores the fair’s investment in curatorial continuity and regional expertise. She was the founding director of Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha, where she oversaw the institution’s opening in 2010 and organized exhibitions including “Sajjil: A Century of Modern Art” and “Cai Guo-Qiang: Saraab.” Her curatorial résumé extends well beyond Qatar, with roles on the 2025 Hawaii Triennial, the 6th Asian Art Biennial in Taiwan, and the 9th Gwangju Biennale in South Korea.
In a statement, de Bellis said Al-Khudhairi’s regional knowledge and international network made her exceptionally well positioned to guide the fair into its next phase. Al-Khudhairi, for her part, described Art Basel Qatar as “an exciting new model for what a curated fair can be,” adding that the 2027 theme grew from “a curiosity about what becomes possible when a space is allowed to stay open.”
The second edition will again unfold across Doha Design District and M7 in Msheireb Downtown Doha. Art Basel also said it will expand the Special Projects sector with larger-scale immersive presentations, with further details to come. As the fair develops, its curatorial choices suggest a broader ambition: to make Doha not just a market destination, but a site for sustained artistic exchange.
