JDEED Selects : The Must-See Booths at Art Basel Qatar

Happy Art Basel Qatar opening day to those who celebrate! The fair opened its doors in Msheireb Downtown Doha today, marking the first Art Basel fair ever in the MENASA region.

The promise? A remarkable range of artistic voices shaping the narrative. Curated by Wael Shawky, more than half of the 84 artists presented hail from the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia, reflecting a region in dynamic conversation with its own past and the global art world.

Here are the booths we’re especially excited to explore:

Imran Qureshi — Nature Morte

The celebrated Pakistani artist Imran Qureshi presents Opening Word of This New Scripture, an installation commissioned by Nature Morte that brings together over one hundred sculptural works. Qureshi’s practice transforms traditions of miniature painting into expansive, poetic forms that weave beauty with rupture, history with contemporary sensibility. His work invites viewers into a contemplative space where the past resonates in the present.

More on NatureMorte.com

Sophia Al-Maria — The Third Line

At The Third Line’s presentation, Dubai-based artist Sophia Al-Maria will be featured. Al-Maria’s practice critically engages with identity, futurism, and global cultural flows, often exploring how narratives of tradition and technology intersect. With HILUX, Al-Maria comes home to Doha and to the roots of her practice, revisiting drawing and cartooning through a striking new mixed media series. Rendered in large scale ink and watercolor works, the project moves away from film toward a quieter, more tactile mode of expression, weaving personal gesture with rich historical and symbolic references.

More on TheThirdLine.com

Nil Yalter — 1 Mira Madrid

Nil Yalter, represented by Mira Madrid, is a pivotal figure in feminist and conceptual art whose practice spans video, performance, installation, and photography. Her work Temporary Dwellings navigates themes of migration, habitation, body, and memory — amplifying voices and experiences often marginalized in mainstream narratives. Yalter’s work feels especially urgent in conversations about movement, displacement, and belonging.

More on 1MiraMadrid.com

Maha Malluh — Galerie Krinzinger

Saudi artist Maha Malluh presents Food for Thought Fatawa II at Galerie Krinzinger. Malluh’s work operates through archival fragments, humour, and recontextualization, examining belief systems and cultural practices. This edition of her ongoing exploration reflects the intersections of tradition, authority, and everyday life.

More on Gallery-Krinzinger.At

Rasheed Araeen — Grosvenor Gallery

A true pioneer of conceptual and minimalist art, Rasheed Araeen brings Jouissance to Grosvenor Gallery’s booth. Araeen — one of the earliest South Asian voices in the conceptual art canon — has spent decades interrogating the mechanics of abstraction, cultural hierarchies, and artistic autonomy. Jouissance continues this lineage, exploring pleasure, form, and perception in ways that feel both historically grounded and cutting-edge.

Ahmed Mater — Athr Gallery

Jeddah’s Athr Gallery presents Ahmed Mater, a central figure in contemporary Gulf art whose powerful work navigates faith, modern life, and the politics of place. Mater’s practice — from photography to installation — often reflects on transformation, spirituality, and societal change, making his presence at a fair centered on Becoming especially resonant.

More on ATHRart.com

Hazem Harb — Tabari Artspace

Dubai’s Tabari Artspace represents Hazem Harb, whose multidisciplinary practice frequently explores memory, history, and visual symbolism through layered narratives. Harb’s work asks viewers to consider how personal and collective histories shape lived experience, resonating with the regional context of the fair.

More on TabariArtSpace.com

Simone Fattal — Karma International

At Karma International, Simone Fattal offers her distinct sculptural language, built on abstraction and material poetics. Fattal’s long-standing practice — marked by quiet yet powerful forms — offers a contemplative counterbalance to the bustling energy of the fair, creating moments of pause and reflection.

More info on KarmaInternational.ch

Jean-Michel Basquiat — Acquavella Galleries

On the international front, Jean-Michel Basquiat appears with works from Acquavella Galleries. Basquiat’s work remains a touchstone for contemporary art — its raw energy and incisive critique of culture, power, and identity reverberate across generations. His presence here reminds us why artists from different eras continue to shape conversations in the present.

More on AcquavellaGalleries.com

As Art Basel Qatar unfolds across M7 and the Doha Design District, these presentations, ranging from poetically charged installations to sculptural inquiries into form, identity, and history, exemplify the vibrant dialogues at the heart of this inaugural edition. Each booth offers a distinct way of looking, thinking, and becoming, making the fair not just a marketplace, but a rich arena for cultural exchange and discovery.

More on ArtBasel.com