Qatar is the world's newest hub of art and culture. The unique and distinct art galleries spread all over Doha have been successful in exhibiting artworks and art collections by not just renowned artists from all around the world but also emerging artists. There's room for everyone in Qatar's art world!
The ILoveQatar.net (ILQ) team has put together nine art galleries you must visit when you are here!
The Gallery AlRiwaq is located in front of the Museum of Islamic Art and was established in 2010. It is a permanent gallery space for temporary exhibitions and has played a very successful part in ensuring Qatar becomes a hub of art and culture within the region and also internationally. It has already played host to some renowned artists from around the globe like Takashi Murakami, Damien Hirst and most recently, Jeff Koons.
*Currently, no exhibitions running.
Founded in 2010, Mathaf houses over 9,000 modern and contemporary Arab artworks, making it the world's most extensive specialised collection of its kind. Mathaf focuses on artworks from the region and its historical and cultural connection from North Africa to Asia, Turkey, and Iran.
Mathaf has evolved into an inspiring space for dialogue, art appreciation, and a hub for learning. Currently, it showcases its permanent collection and regularly holds shows and workshops.
Dadu's Light Atelier exhibit is an interactive art installation featuring different coloured lights, shadows, colour mixing, reflections, and more. The exhibit is ideal for families and kids as it offers a fun and playful child-friendly experience.
The Women in Society exhibit is the first of Mathaf's permanent collection featuring modern artworks in the context of newly independent countries, centring on women's influence and cultural roles in contemporary society.
A collection of works featuring the artists' perspectives on society and its evolution throughout history and progress in contemporary times. Some elements to be witnessed in the artworks are family dynamics, industrial progress, politics, and culture.
The works featured in this gallery experiment and played with the artistry of Arabic script and calligraphy. Marvel at the creative and unique ways the artists have invented original visual languages, exploring the visual forms of language.
Discover modern and contemporary culture in the form of systematic fragmentation, modularity and repetition in the paintings and sculptures featured in this gallery. The artworks express perceptions of life, culture, and society.
This gallery brings together works by artists who have brought together different art forms to express an original visual language using various materials. These artworks aim to represent the intricacies of modern culture and society.
The Katara Art Center (KAC) is a modern and contemporary art institution and gallery space of over 1,000 square meters and covers different art forms and disciplines. KAC is an independently run platform dedicated to contemporary art practices and creative projects in various art disciplines.
It aims to inspire and engage artists, art lovers, and people of all ages while educating them about the importance of art and culture in its many forms through temporary exhibitions, performances, workshops, and talks on art.
The Souq Waqif Art Center serves as a gallery that houses paintings, sculptures, and other mixed-media artistic pursuits. This gallery aims to sustain and maintain the artistic culture and traditions that are an inherent part of Qatar and the Arab region and showcase them to the international audiences and visitors of Qatar.
Its especially lauded for its support in providing a workspace to local and expat artists in Qatar, giving them exposure to showcase their art to art lovers, art collectors, and the general public.
A Civil Defence Building constructed in 1982 that housed Qatar's Fire Brigade till the end of 2012 has now become part of the Qatar Museums' many art galleries in Doha. Today, this building houses an innovative public gallery called the Garage Gallery that showcases exhibitions by emerging talents so they can grow and develop as creative and professional artists locally and internationally.
The mesh on the building's exterior is used to display digital artworks, public messages, and project images.
Msheireb Museums, situated in the heart of Msheireb Downtown Doha celebrates the history and culture of traditional Qatari culture and society within four major heritage houses: Bin Jelmood House, Mohammed Bin Jassim House, Company House, and Radwani House.
Discover the role Islam played in guiding the humane treatment of enslaved people, their integration into society, and the eventual abolition of slavery. The artworks displayed explore the social, cultural and economic contribution of formerly enslaved people to the development of human civilisations.
This heritage house was built by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Jassim Al-Thani, son of the founder of modern Qatar, and addresses the past, the present, and the sustainable aspect on which Msheireb Downtown Doha is based. The museum houses the Echo Memory Art Project using objects uncovered during excavation work on the site.
This museum is located in what was once the headquarters of Qatar's first oil company. It narrates the tales of the Qatari petroleum industry workers as they have transformed Qatar's economy and modern society.
Get to know how family life in Qatar evolved throughout contemporary history at Radwani House. Family is an integral part of Qatari culture, and through the installations in these museums, visitors will discover the intricacies and importance of familial relationships in Qatar's socio-cultural development.
Discover Qatar's rich culture and vast history at the National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ). The whole museum is sectioned accordingly so guests can experience Qatar's history from its beginnings to its modern developments. Featuring traditional artwork, textiles, and historical items to state-of-the-art interactive installations, NMoQ is a must-visit!
The Virginia Commonwealth University Qatar (VCU-Q) has a gallery space on its campus that is well-known in Qatar's art circle for exhibiting the artworks of international artists and those of VCU-Q's students and faculty members. The gallery is open to the general public on days when there are exhibitions taking place.
*Currently, no exhibitions are running.
Alhosh Gallery is a collective organising art exhibitions by local artists in Qatar in different locations. Alhosh Gallery has gained quite the buzz over the past few years and is known to be very inclusive, often posting open calls for local artists to join their exhibitions.
Currently, they have a collaboration with Flat White Cafe exhibiting artworks by nine local artists in three Flat White locations in Qatar: Qatar Foundation, Iconic 2022, and Al Hilal. The exhibitions will be from July 2022 and will last for three months. Below is the list of artists being featured in the corresponding Flat White locations:
Originally written by Nabeela Tariq, updated by Cassandra Pallagud
Do you love art? Could you spend hours in a gallery enjoying the art collections on offer? How many of the galleries in this article have you visited? Do let us know what you think in our comments section. Like and share the article - it keeps us going!
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