Art Basel Qatar (ABQ), the Qatari state’s finely orchestrated selling event in partnership with the Swiss fair giant, today announced the exhibitor list for its second edition, set to take place across the M7 and Doha Design District venues from 28 to 30 January 2027, with VIP preview days on 26-27 January.
Eighty-two galleries are scheduled to participate. Among these are Sylvia Kouvali (London, Piraeus), featuring the kinetic art pioneer Liliane Lijn, and Gagosian, which will present works by the art-world prankster Maurizio Catellan. Much like the inaugural edition, nearly half of the participating galleries maintain spaces within the Menasa (Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia) region. Notable contributors from this category include Marfa’ Projects from Beirut, featuring Lebanese artist Stéphanie Saadé, and India’s Nature Morte, showcasing the architecturally inclined sculptor Ayesha Singh.
Each presentation will align with the theme of “between,” chosen by the fair’s artistic director, the Iraqi curator Wassan Al-Khudhairi, who was the founding director of Doha’s Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art from 2007-12. She succeeds Wael Shawky, curator of the inaugural edition.
Exhibitor turnover is notable, with about 35 galleries, or 40%, not returning, including global powerhouses like Hauser & Wirth, Pace, Almine Rech, and Victoria Miro, along with prominent regional names such as Gallery Isabelle from Dubai. Newcomers filling these spots include Isla Flotante (Buenos Aires, São Paulo), Pilar Corrias (London), and Silverlens (Manila, New York).
Vincenzo De Bellis, Art Basel’s global director of fairs, remarks to The Art Newspaper on the considerable turnover, which he views as typical of ABQ’s format. “Across our global fairs, we see greater turnover in the sectors that are theme-led, and in Qatar that approach extends to the fair as a whole. Selection is closely tied to how galleries’ proposed solo presentations respond to each edition’s theme, so it is natural for the exhibitor list to change from year to year.”
The selection committee includes gallerists Lorenzo Fischi of Galleria Continua, Gordon VeneKlasen of VeneKlasen Gallery, Daniela Gareh of White Cube, Shireen Gandhy of Chemould Prescott Road, Sunny Rahbar of The Third Line, and Mohammed Hafiz of Athr.
Art Basel does not discuss individual exhibitor applications or revelations about geopolitical tensions potentially influencing participation. However, visitors may be mindful of such issues, considering the recent renewed conflict in neighboring Saudi Arabia and looming threats involving the US and Israel against Iran. Following the first ABQ, missiles launched by Iran into Qatar resulted in 16 injuries, emphasizing security concerns.
As part of contingency plans, should the exhibition be postponed or significantly altered due to these concerns, galleries will be refunded or allowed to defer participation to the 2028 edition, though dropouts will face penalty fees as per usual Art Basel policies. Exhibitors also benefit from substantial support through Art Basel’s partnership with Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) and QC+, covering various logistical costs, thereby mitigating financial risks.
Moreover, Art Basel is cementing its presence in Qatar by launching a year-round program aimed at fostering the country’s art market, with activities planned to cultivate new collectors. Noah Horowitz, Art Basel’s chief executive, states that “Our ambition extends well beyond the fair week: through our new year-round programme, we aim to deepen collector engagement between editions and contribute to the sustained growth of the regional art market.”
The ABQ second edition coincides with the inaugural Rubaiya, a quadrennial exhibition in Doha, presenting works from over 120 artists, including Saodat Ismailova and Rirkrit Tiravanija.
Art Basel Qatar 2027 Exhibitors (newcomers marked *)
- 193 Gallery—Hassan Hajjaj
- Acquavella Galleries—Andy Warhol
- al markhiya gallery—Youssef Ahmad
- ** * Alhosh Gallery—Hassan bin Mohammed Al Thani**
- Ames Yavuz—Alfredo Aquilizan, Isabel Aquilizan
- ** Öktem Aykut-Ihsan Oturmak*
- Sabrina Amrani—Chant Avedissian
- Athr Gallery—Mohammad Alfaraj
- Saleh Barakat Gallery -Nabil Nahas
- ** Bortolami—Christine Safa*
- ** The Breeder—Maria Hassabi*
- Chemould Prescott Road -Dana Awartani
- ** Contemporary Art Platform -Monira Al Qadiri*
- Cardi Gallery—Enrico Castellani
- ** Carlos/Ishikawa—El Hadji Libasse Ka*
- Sadie Coles HQ—Isabella Ducrot
- Galleria Continua—Chen Zhen
- Paula Cooper Gallery—Frank Stella
- ** Pilar Corrias—Cui Jie*
- ** Dastan Gallery -Sirak Melkonian*
- ** Efie Gallery -María Magdalena Campos-Pons*
- Selma Feriani Gallery—Nicène Kossentini
- Konrad Fischer Galerie—Wolfgang Laib
- Gagosian—Maurizio Cattelan
- ** Gomide&Co—Alfredo Spampinato*
- Green Art Gallery—Seher Shah
- Grosvenor Gallery—Adeela Suleman
- Cristina Guerra Contemporary Art—Filipa César
- Gypsum Gallery—Huda Lutfi
- Hafez Gallery—Faisal Samra
- ** Hanart TZ Gallery—Bingyi*
- ** Mariane Ibrahim—Salah Elmur*
- ** Isla Flotante—Alfredo Spampinato*
- ** Jhaveri Contemporary—Kamruzzaman Shadhin*
- Kalfayan Galleries—Antonis Donef
- Sean Kelly—Shahzia Sikander
- Sylvia Kouvali—Liliane Lijn
- Galerie Krinzinger—Waqas Khan
- ** Laveronica arte contemporanea—Rabih Mroué*
- Lawrie Shabibi—Yazan Khalili
- Leila Heller Gallery-Marcos Grigorian
- ** Le LAB Gallery-Moataz Nasr*
- Lehmann Maupin—Mandy El-Sayegh
- Lisson Gallery—Anish Kapoor
- Luxembourg + Co.—Mira Schendel
- ** Gió Marconi—Sonia Delaunay*
- Marfa’ Projects -Stéphanie Saadé
- Matthew Marks Gallery—Ken Price
- ** Mazzoleni—Salvo*
- Fergus McCaffrey—Toshio Yoshida
- Mendes Wood DM—Paulo Nazareth
- Mennour—Ugo Rondinone
- Nature Morte—Ayesha Singh
- Neugerriemschneider—Rirkrit Tiravanija
- ** Galleria Franco Noero—Simon Starling*
- ** Norr Cohan—Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian*
- ** Gallery Wendi Norris—Ambreen Butt*
- Galleria Lorcan O’Neill Roma—Kiki Smith
- Perrotin—Takashi Murakami
- ** Iyad Qanazea Gallery—Jumana Abboud*
- Niru Ratnam—Keith Piper
- Thaddaeus Ropac—Sean Scully
- Rossi & Rossi—Naiza H. Khan
- Lia Rumma—Giovanni Anselmo
- ** Richard Saltoun Gallery—Simryn Gill*
- Galerie Thomas Schulte—Marina Adams
- Sfeir-Semler Gallery—Aref El Rayess
- ** Silverlens—Pacita Abad*
- Sprüth Magers—Rosemarie Trockel
- ** Standard (Oslo)—Shikh Sabbir Alam*
- ** Stevenson—Mame-Diarra Niang*
- ** Taymour Grahne Projects—Dalal Al-Obaidi*
- ** * Timothy Taylor—Marina Adams**
- Tornabuoni Art—Lucio Fontana
- VeneKlasen—Tristan Unrau
- Axel Vervoordt Gallery—Jaffa Lam
- ** Vigo Gallery—Ibrahim El-Salahi*
- White Cube—Park Seo-Bo
- David Zwirner—Oscar Murillo
