“I am an unconventional choice,” the Egyptian artist Wael Shawky told The Art Newspaper last year when he was announced to be the artistic director of the inaugural Art Basel Qatar. Indeed, it is unusual for an art fair to be curated in this way, especially by a highly successful artist like Shawky. He represented Egypt at the 2024 Venice Biennale and has had solo exhibitions at Tate Modern, Mathaf, MoMA PS1 and many other major institutions. But Shawky has increasing knowledge of and involvement in Qatar’s art scene; he was appointed the artistic director of the Fire Station contemporary art space in Doha in 2024.
Ali Cherri
Almine Rech, Paris
Almine Rech presents works by Ali Cherri (pictured above) that engage with the idea of what it means to “become animal”. Drawing from philosophy, Cherri blends myth, sculpture and symbolism to challenge how we see ourselves in relation to animals.
Marwan, Licht (1973) Courtesy of the artist & Sfeir-Semler Gallery
Marwan
Sfeir-Semler Gallery, Beirut
Sfeir-Semler Gallery presents a selection of works by Marwan (1934–2016) that trace the evolution of his practice from the 1960s to the 1980s, culminating in his iconic Heads: meditative studies of interiority rendered in oil and watercolour. These portraits function as encounters with the human soul, transcending geographic or historical boundaries.
Marlene Dumas, Figure in a Landscape (2010) © Marlene Dumas; courtesy of the artist and David Zwirner
Marlene Dumas
David Zwirner, New York
David Zwirner presents four major paintings from Marlene Dumas’s Against the Wall series (2009–10). Based on media images of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the works explore contested meaning, shifting borders and the instability of identity shaped by conflict and memory.
Hassan Sharif, Aluminium Container (2016) Courtesy of the Estate of Hassan Sharif and Gallery Isabelle
Hassan Sharif
Gallery Isabelle, Dubai
Gallery Isabelle dedicates its presentation to the late Emirati artist Hassan Sharif (1951–2016), a pioneering figure in conceptual art and experimental practice in the Gulf. This presentation approaches his practice through studies, works in progress and a local artistic language in the making.
El Anatsui, Continents in Gestation (2024) © the artist; courtesy of the artist and October Gallery, London
El Anatsui
October Gallery, London
October Gallery showcases a selection of El Anatsui’s iconic wall hangings, crafted from materials such as bottle caps, liquor-bottle seals and printing plates. These monumental works reflect the evolving nature of human identity, material culture and memory.
Mona Hatoum, Untitled (wall cabinet) II (2017) Photo: George Darrell; Courtesy of the artist, Alexander and Bonin, New York and Galerie Chantal Crousel, Paris
Mona Hatoum
Galerie Chantal Crousel, Paris
Galerie Chantal Crousel shows nine works by Mona Hatoum, including two new pieces for 2025. Using grids, cages and altered materials, the works examine exposure, protection and constraint.
Mohamed Monaiseer, I, Pet Lion (Galaxy Attack) (2024) Courtesy of the artist and Gypsum Gallery
Mohamed Monaiseer
Gypsum Gallery, Cairo
Gypsum Gallery presents Mohamed Monaiseer’s ongoing work I, Pet Lion. Drawing from heraldry, flags and children’s strategy games, his embroidered and painted textiles trace how symbols of conflict enter everyday visual culture. Repetition, appliqué and calligraphic marks expose how the logic of warfare appears as play.
