ArtDayME: Qatar Museums opened two new exhibitions on October 31 at Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha, marking the beginning of the museum’s 15th anniversary celebrations.

The twin shows — “Resolutions: Celebrating 15 Years of Mathaf” and “we refuse_d” — highlight both the institution’s legacy and its forward-looking vision for modern and contemporary Arab art.

“Resolutions” revisits Mathaf’s renowned permanent collection, tracing its pivotal role in presenting the history of Arab modernism.

Running concurrently, “we refuse_d” gathers works by more than fifteen contemporary Arab artists whose practices explore refusal, persistence, and solidarity amid challenges. Many of the pieces are new commissions emphasizing the necessity of art as life.

The list of participating artists in the exhibition is as follows:

Taysir Batniji, DAAR (Sandi Hilal & Alessandro Petti), Barış Doğrusöz, Samia Halaby, Majd Abdel Hamid, Emily Jacir, Jumana Manna, Walid Raad, Khalil Rabah, Yasmine Eid Sabbagh, Nour Shantout, Suha Shoman, Dima Srouji, Oraib Toukan, and Abdul Hay Mosallam Zarara.

Director Zeina Arida described the exhibitions as a milestone in Mathaf’s history, reflecting on fifteen years of achievement while reaffirming its role as a vital platform for artists from the Arab world.

The anniversary season forms part of Evolution Nation — an 18-month initiative by Qatar Creates celebrating fifty years of Qatar’s cultural journey and twenty years since the founding of Qatar Museums.