Doha: Qatar Museums (QM) today announced the programme for Rubaiya Qatar, a new nationwide multidisciplinary contemporary art quadrennial developed under the auspices of ALRIWAQ Art + Architecture, the contemporary art and architecture institution of Qatar Museums dedicated to research, exhibitions, and public art. Conceived to elevate Qatar's international presence and empower new generations of artists and thinkers, Rubaiya Qatar will present a dynamic programme of exhibitions, commissions, public art projects, residencies, publications, and more, organised every four years under a single theme.
According to Qatar News Agency, as part of this inaugural programme, Qatar Museums also announced further details of Unruly Waters, the flagship and largest exhibition of Rubaiya Qatar. Referencing the book of the same title by environmental historian Sunil Amrith, Unruly Waters features works by more than 50 contemporary artists, many of whom have been commissioned to create new work for the project. The exhibition explores how both humans and nature have shaped today's realities across a region spanning from the Gulf to East Asia, while also examining Qatar's place within that region.
Sheikha Reem Al-Thani, Qatar Museums Deputy CEO of ALRIWAQ Art + Architecture, Public Art, and Rubaiya Qatar, stated that Rubaiya Qatar builds on the growth of Qatar Museums over the past two decades, aiming to reflect the country's aspirations by positioning Doha as a hub for global art practice. She emphasized that this inaugural edition will foster new creative networks, support emerging artists who are pushing the boundaries of innovation, and showcase Doha as a platform for the exchange of cutting-edge ideas.
Sheikha Alanood Al-Thani, Director of Rubaiya Qatar, added that Unruly Waters locates Qatar as a meeting point for different cultures and traditions, underscoring the nation's past and present role as a geopolitical hub. Alongside works by major contemporary artists, the exhibition will present artefacts from Qatar Museums' extensive collections to propose new artistic and historical connections, shining a light on how the wider Gulf region has been shaped by nature and global weather systems as much as by commerce, trade, and culture.
Rubaiya Qatar will include multiple exhibitions, public artworks and activations across Qatar. Its largest exhibition, Unruly Waters, will be on view at ALRIWAQ Arts + Architecture and part of Rubaiya Qatar's multi-site activations across Qatar. The exhibition is curated by notable figures including Tom Eccles, Ruba Katrib, Mark Rappolt, and Shabbir Hussain Mustafa.
Tom Eccles noted that the quadrennial exhibition introduces a new type of transnational, transdisciplinary program to Doha, rooted in issues that affect both Qatar and the wider region. The artists exhibiting broadly represent the diverse nationalities that live in Qatar, while their work reflects the shared geographical, environmental and social realities of today. The program builds upon the ambitious expansion of the arts in Doha over the past decade and represents another milestone in the evolution of Qatar's commitment to dialogue within the international arts community.
The more than 50 artists invited to participate in Unruly Waters come from a region informed by both the ancient Maritime Silk Road and Qatar's present demographics. Their works engage with the urgencies of ecologic transformation and geopolitical reality, reflecting the migratory patterns that have shaped the Gulf for centuries. Artists participating include Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Sophia Al Maria, Mohamed Bourouissa, Ade Darmawan, Alia Farid, Naiza Khan, Dala Nassar, Lydia Ourahmane, Marina Tabassum, and Rirkrit Tiravanija.
Exhibition themes will focus on the circulation and transport of people, goods, and ideas, embedded histories and memories, infrastructure, and speculative futurism. The works on show span a range of media, from painting and sculpture to moving image, storytelling, sound, and performance. In all of this, art functions as a cross-border medium drawing up new solidarities and new connections.
Unruly Waters will also present artefacts held by Qatar Museums, including objects from the Cirebon shipwreck, a late-9th- to 10th-century merchant vessel salvaged in 2003 in Indonesia's Java Sea. The wreck's cargo provides significant evidence of a Maritime Silk Road, early forms of globalisation, and trade across the Indian Ocean, suggesting a shared cultural history predating European colonialism. By presenting these objects alongside contemporary artworks, Unruly Waters aims to shine a light on a vast, interconnected Asia.
Rubaiya Qatar also includes additional exhibitions such as Our Common Currents, curated by Lina Patmali at the QM Katara Gallery, and Seething Sea at Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art. Alongside exhibitions, Rubaiya Qatar will feature public art projects, collaborations with international institutions, and public programmes.
Rubaiya Qatar is presented as part of Evolution Nation, a campaign honouring Qatar's cultural journey over the past 50 years, since the founding of the National Museum of Qatar, and 20 years since the founding of Qatar Museums. Curated by Qatar Creates, Evolution Nation highlights both the nation's cultural milestones and its aspirations. Rubaiya Qatar will act as the first major program ushering in the new era of Qatar Museums.