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Despite the shadow of war looming large over the Gulf regions, the mood in Doha has been cautiously optimistic. In fact, the phrase 'Art in the times of uncertainty' may have just found a new meaning in Qatar this October. Unfazed by the escalating geopolitical tensions, Qatar Creates (or QC Season, as it is known locally) unveiled an array of sprawling exhibitions, public panels bringing together creative voices from various fields, and community-driven programmes.
A QC Talk event, held at the National Museum of Qatar alongside a flurry of art openings on October 27, saw two of the art world's most influential figures — Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and Sheikha Hoor Al-Qasimi of Sharjah Art Foundation — sharing the stage to reflect on how art can serve as a much-needed antidote during these challenging times.
We attended the exhibitions, and here are some unmissable highlights from Qatar Creates Fall/Winter 2026-27 for those visiting Doha during its "high art season."
Giuseppe Penone occupies a unique position in the Italian art world, partly because he is one of the last remaining links to the avant-garde Arte Povera (literally, 'poor art') movement, which originated in Turin back in the 1960s.
"Throughout my life, I have worked with organic materials — whether it is wood, mineral, stone or even trees — because I really believe that we are not merely connected to nature but are essentially made from the same element," said Penone, who was present at the opening of Giuseppe Penone: The Inner Flow of Life, billed as his biggest survey in the Middle East.
Curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Issa Al Shirawi, the exhibition brings together 25 artworks made between 1970 and 2026, revealing the Italian master's lifelong obsession with finding a common ground between the natural world and the human body. All these key works are spread across different pavilions at the National Museum of Qatar — except for a relatively new outdoor public sculpture titled Idee di Pietra ('Ideas of Stones') which requires a short drive to the Old Doha Port. Though Idee di Pietra is nothing more than a large-scale bronze tree with river stones lodged in its bare branches, the effect is sublime, particularly at night.
In one pavilion, we see a wall sculpture fashioned from white fir, larch and cedar saplings hidden within industrial timber beams, resembling pages of a book. This work, appropriately enough, is called Alberi Libro ('Book Trees'). Step into yet another pavilion and your eyes are drawn to what at first glance looks like fingerprints but upon closer inspection, one realises these are circular drawings made on the gallery walls. For Penone, Propagazione ('Propagation') — or "ripples in water," as he calls this work — evoke a common pattern found everywhere in nature. Another section features Scrigno ('Casket'). Though it is a monumental mural made using weathered brown leather, it features a striking visual detail at its centre: a tree cast in bronze. There's something playful about this piece, as though Penone is teasing us and reminding visitors not to miss the forest for the trees.
Where: National Museum of Qatar and Old Doha Port
Till when: February 13, 2027
"Heritage of the present times and awareness of local Iraqi character" formed the core philosophy of the influential Baghdad Modern Art Group, which sought to develop a new idiom of modernism in a city rooted in the rich Abbasid-era history. Founded in 1951 by two of Iraq's most prominent artists, Jewad Selim and Shakir Hassan Al Said, the group drew on Iraq’s cultural and visual histories and their personal knowledge of international artistic movements.
What Lingers in the Artist’s Mind at Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art explores the legacy of the Baghdad Modern Art Group through a contemporary lens. Zigzagging across Mesopotamian heritage, Islamic traditions, popular folklore and modern aesthetics, the sprawling showcase highlights how pioneering artists like Jewad Selim, Shakir Hassan Al Said, Faiq Hassan, Saadi Al Kaabi and Suad al-Attar (the first female artist to have a solo exhibition in Baghdad in the 1960s) transformed modern Iraqi art.
Particularly, Jewad Selim's (1919-1961) abstract works are a revelation. His simplified landscapes (such as the Baghdadiyat series, inspired by ancient Sumerian traditions or Children's Games, which features recurring geometric motifs) tell the story of an artist relentlessly experimenting his way through history.
Where: Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Education CityTill
When: February 6, 2027
Fahad bin Ali Palace sits next to the Amiri Diwan in the heart of Doha's Msheireb neighbourhood. This heritage site is currently playing host to Beyti Beytak ('My Home is Your Home') — an architectural exhibition featuring architects from the Middle East, North Africa and South Asian regions whose work has been shaped by cultural hospitality, vernacular identity and community.
Urban designs on display show how good architecture always responds to community needs, whether through mosques (three examples designed by women architects are on view), public centres, social housing, collective living, gardens or museums. Legendary Indian architects like BV Doshi, Raj Rewal and AP Kanvinde share space here with global voices, fusing built projects that speak of local values with a new wave of global urbanisation.
"Doshi and Rewal made strong statements through their architecture," says Aurélien Lemonier, a senior curator of architecture, design and gardens at the upcoming Art Mill Museum in Doha, who co-curated this show with Sean Anderson.
Where: Fahad bin Ali Palace, Msheireb
Till when: May 29, 2027
Wooden Doors of Qatar: From Storage to Stories at the Fahad bin Ali Palace takes visitors on a unique journey exploring why a door matters.
The exhibition consists of 52 historic doorframes and windows that sat in storage for decades before Qatar Museums and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture decided to spotlight them.
"The exhibition is a work in progress, as our main focus is the preservation, conservation and documentation of these historic doors... We were stunned when we first began looking at this collection of doors, salvaged from homes and buildings while Qatar's residential areas were going through rapid expansion and redevelopment," explains Ajmal Maiwandi, himself an architect and the CEO of the Aga Khan Cultural Services.
He adds, "The real heroes of the project are the people who saved these doors and had the foresight to put them in storage instead of demolishing them completely."
The outdoor installation What Once Was greets us before we enter the labyrinthine galleries of From Storage to Stories. It's a recreation of a traditional Qatari home, designed to give visitors a taste of what these doors might have looked like in their heyday.
Where: Fahad bin Ali Palace, Msheireb
Till when: May 29, 2027
M7 is the hub of art, design, fashion and technology in Doha, and here's where you'll find the most eclectic shows of the season.
Start with Expanded Tradition. Contemporary Craft Practices in Mexico (until December 26). Presented as part of the Year of Culture between Qatar, Canada and Mexico 2026, the exhibition brings a new generation of Mexican artisans to Doha.
The same building also houses Erdem: About Time, About Her (until December 26) — a theatrical and highly entertaining showcase of the pioneering designer Erdem Moralioglu. Fashion bibles have described him as "Britain’s answer to Christian Lacroix," and it's easy to see why.