The National Pavilion of Qatar today announced details of its presentation for the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, commissioned by Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairperson, Qatar Museums.
untitled 2026 (a gathering of remarkable people); Rirkrit Tiravanija, Sophia Al-Maria, Tarek Atoui, Alia Farid, Fadi Kattan builds on artist Rirkrit Tiravanija’s decades-long practice of inviting collaborators to activate his architectural and spatial scenarios. For the 61st International Art Exhibition, Rirkrit Tiravanija has designed a tent-like structure to serve as a place for cultural exchange, with a film by Qatari-American artist Sophia Al-Maria, live performances organized by Lebanese artist Tarek Atoui, a large-scale sculpture by Kuwaiti- Puerto Rican artist Alia Farid, and a culinary programme of Middle Eastern cuisine designed by Palestinian chef Fadi Kattan. Produced by Qatar Museums and presented by Rubaiya Qatar (Qatar’s contemporary art quadrennial), a gathering of remarkable people is co-curated by Tom Eccles (Executive Director, Center for Curatorial Studies and the Hessel Museum of Art, Bard College) and Ruba Katrib (Chief Curator and Director of Curatorial Affairs, MoMA PS1). It will be presented in the Giardini della Biennale on the site of the future permanent Qatar Pavilion designed by Lina Ghotmeh— Architecture.
Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani said, “On the global stage of the Venice Biennale, this exhibition demonstrates Qatar’s unwavering belief in the power of culture to bring people together and to create space for reflection, connection, and affirmation of our shared humanity. Qatar is proud to provide a platform for the creative talent of our nation and the Arab world. Together, these artists and their work highlight the importance of resilience in a complicated time, empowering communities, inspiring generations, and strengthening our combined heritage.”
Drawing on diverse cultures from the Arab world and modelled after Qatari gathering spaces, the temporary structure will welcome the public to experience a range of cultural offerings. Co-curators Tom Eccles and Ruba Katrib said, “We are proud that a gathering of remarkable people builds upon the presentation of Rirkrit Tiravanija’s work in Doha, as part of Rubaiya Qatar. The engaging, participatory nature of this new, expansive work, including its desire to nourish both the spirit and the body, will be carried forward by the outstanding artistic collaborators who will bring the exhibition to life in Venice. By including artists, musicians, poets, and chefs, the exhibition proves that culture is the indelible link between us all. Bringing people together at this moment is more important than ever. In fact, it is essential.” Rirkrit Tiravanija said, “I feel honoured to work with Qatar Museums, the Rubaiya Qatar team, and all the artists who will be contributing to this experience in Venice. Sophia Al-Maria, Tarek Atoui, Alia Farid and Fadi Kattan represent different aspects of Arab culture, which will be united at the Qatar Pavilion to show how we all can come together.”
Art installations and activations will include:
• an experimental narrative film by Qatari-American artist Sophia Al-Maria, in which her protagonist goes on a dream-like journey that delves into the transformative possibilities of music and sound.
• Jerrican (2022–2026), a large-scale sculpture by Alia Farid from her series of larger- than-life vessels used to store and carry water in the Gulf. Farid’s versions are enormous but hollow and light, molded in lacquered fiberglass and fabricated using the same method as the decorative casings for public drinking fountains that have become a distinctive feature of the urban landscape across the Arabian Gulf.
• improvisational collaborations arranged by Tarek Atoui with musicians and poets, responding to field recordings, archival sources, and other sonic elements from across the Arab world.
• a culinary programme designed by Fadi Kattan, which highlights chefs from the MENA region whose cuisine sits at the intersection of preservation and innovation, with menus often centered on a single ingredient to trace the cross-cultural impact of migration and trade.
Opening Programming
Throughout vernissage (6–8 May) and opening weekend (9–10 May), programming for a gathering of remarkable people will include musical performances arranged by Tarek Atoui that are inspired by the structures of the takht (classical Arabic orchestra) and the wasla (a musical suite or sequence). Improvisational and durational in nature, the performances will demonstrate how Arabic concerts historically took place. Under Fadi Kattan’s direction, chefs from Qatar and the Gulf will reinterpret harees/jareesh. Featured artists include musicians Gobi Drab (flutes, vocals, Austria), Tomás Gouband (percussion, France/Algeria), Mazen Kerbaj (trumpet, electronics, Lebanon), Aya Metwaly (vocals, electronics, Egypt), Sarah Ourahman (cello, vocals, electronics, UK/Algeria), Naghib Shehbenzadeh (percussion, Iran), Vivian Wang (vocals, electronics, Singapore) along with culinary offerings by chefs and authors Noor Murad (Bahrain) and Majed Ali Almatrooshi (United Arab Emirates), chef Noof Al Marri of the Desert Rose Café at the National Museum of Qatar (Qatar), and mixologists Anna Patrowicz (France) and Vesta Kontrimaviciene (Lithuania) of akub London. A full schedule of performances and the culinary programme for select dates throughout the run of the 61st International Art Exhibition will be announced in May.
Photo: Brigitte Lacombe.