Mathaf at 15: Art, time and what hasn’t changed

Welcome to AL-MONITOR Doha.

The next two weeks in Doha have a lot going on. Mathaf opens an exhibition that looks back at 15 years of Arab contemporary art. The Doha International Book Fair returns for its 35th edition, bringing over 500 publishers from 36 countries to the DECC. In between, a candlelight concert lands at the Four Seasons, Sebastian Cabrices brings a four-day fashion storytelling masterclass to M7 and Zinatha closes out its run at Al Hazm.

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Reve

P.S. Have feedback or tips on Doha's culture scene? Send them my way at contactus@al-monitor.com.

1. Leading the week: "Resolutions: Evolving Realities"

Middle Class Palestinian Refugees, 2009, Jeffar Khaldi. (Courtesy of Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art)

Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art turns 15 this year, and the exhibition marking that milestone is less a celebration than a serious look back at where the institution began. “Resolutions: Evolving Realities” brings together works commissioned by and first shown at Mathaf, centering on the two inaugural exhibitions from 2010, “Told | Untold | Retold” and “Interventions: A Dialogue Between the Modern and the Contemporary.” Its question: What happens to an artwork when the world it was made in no longer exists in the same form?

Time is the thread running through all of it. Ten intergenerational artists and collectives are represented across the Atrium and Galleries 1 to 7, each working through personal, cultural and sociopolitical realities in ways that have only accumulated more meaning in the years since these works were first shown. Reexamining them now reveals how little some of the issues they addressed have actually shifted.

Also on view for the first time is a monumental sculptural work by the late Iraqi artist Ismail Fattah al-Turk, produced during the artist residency program that preceded Mathaf’s opening as a public museum. It is a work that has never been shown publicly before, reason enough to visit on its own.

Date: Until Aug. 8

Location: Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Atrium and Galleries 1 to 7

More details here.

2. Word on the street: Doha International Book Fair

Visitors tour the 34th edition of the Doha International Book Fair at the Qatari capital's Exhibition and Convention Center on May 9, 2025. (KARIM JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images)

The Doha International Book Fair is back for its 35th edition, and the scale of it is worth noting. Since it first launched in 1972, it has built a reputation as one of the oldest and largest book fairs in the region, and this edition looks to be no different. Running May 14-23 at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center, this year’s fair brings together 515 publishing houses and entities from 36 countries across more than 910 booths.

The selection covers fiction, poetry, children’s books, nonfiction and everything in between, alongside e-books and and other digital formats for those who want to explore beyond the printed page. Beyond the books themselves, there are workshops, seminars and panel discussions on publishing and storytelling, as well as arts and crafts sessions including drawing classes, doll-making and art writing. It's the kind of event that works just as well for a solo afternoon as it does for a family outing.

Date: May 14-23

Location: Doha Exhibition and Convention Center

More details here.

3. Doha diary

 Sebastian Cabrices, fashion director at C41 Magazine and contributing editor at Vogue Mexico & Latin America. (M7)

• Crafting & Communicating Fashion Narratives Masterclass

M7 is hosting a four-day intensive masterclass led by Sebastian Cabrices, fashion director at C41 Magazine and contributing editor at Vogue Mexico & Latin America. The course walks participants through the full arc of brand storytelling, from defining a brand’s core identity and point of view to translating it into visual language, media pitches and investor-facing materials. It is practical by design, aimed at anyone working in fashion who wants a clearer, more strategic way to communicate what they do and why it matters.

Date: May 10-13

Location: M7, Doha

More information here

• Candlelight: Best Western and Arabic Hits

Candlelight concerts have been making their way through Doha’s more atmospheric venues, and this one lands at Four Seasons Hotel Doha on May 16. The program moves between Western and Arabic classics, covering everything from Amr Diab and Elissa to Queen, Coldplay and Taylor Swift, all performed live under candlelight. The concert runs 60 minutes, doors open an hour before and late arrivals are not admitted, so it is worth arriving with time to settle in.

Date: May 16

Location: Four Seasons Hotel Doha

More information here

• Zinatha Exhibition

Zinatha is one of Qatar’s more established fashion and lifestyle events for women. The exhibition brings together regional and international designers specializing in abayas, jalabiyas and accessories alongside beauty brands, with the option to meet designers and explore new collections in person. It sits at the more refined end of the shopping experience, which makes Al Hazm a fitting venue for it.

Date: Until May 13

Location: Al Hazm Mall

More information here.