The pavilion, titled 'untitled 2026 (a gathering of remarkable people)', is led by artist Rirkrit Tiravanija and transforms the space into a living environment rather than a traditional exhibition. Inside, visitors move between live music, film screenings, and shared meals, with performances and conversations unfolding throughout the day. A large maroon-coloured tent structure with a 'scrambled' mashrabiya pattern sits at the centre, where art is not only displayed but actively made in real time.
The project brings together artists, musicians, and chefs from across the Arab world and its diasporas, including Sopha Al-Maria, Tarek Atoui, Alia Faris, and Fadi Kattan. Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairperson of Qatar Museums, opened the pavilion and stated that Qatar's participation is part of a cultural vision initiated under the leadership of HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. " According to Euronews, Sheikha Reem Al Thani, Deputy CEO of Qatar Museums, described the pavilion as a space for gathering, listening, conversing, and sharing food together, where visitors become part of the artwork rather than simply viewing it.
We are a multicultural country and we very much support that and work together with everybody.
The presentation also acts as a preview of Rubaiya Qatar, a new nationwide contemporary art festival launching later this year. Organisers say the pavilion is designed as a space for participation rather than observation, responding to a wider moment in the region. At a time of wider instability across the region and beyond, Qatar is positioning culture as a shared space for dialogue.
Qatar is also participating in the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale with an exhibition titled 'Beyti Beytak. My Home is Your Home. La mia casa è la tua casa'.
At the moment in time, with all the troubles around in the world, I think it’s quite important for us to have a place to come together and also to hear and to smell and to taste things that are diverse.
The architecture exhibition is split across two sites: a temporary pavilion in the Giardini by Yasmeen Lari and an archival exhibition inside the Palazzo Franchetti, curated by Aurélien Lemonier and Sean Anderson. It treats hospitality as a design principle shaping the built environment across geographies and generations. The show presents works from more than 30 architects and collectives, including Hassan Fathy, Balkrishna Doshi, Sumaya Dabbagh, Abeer Seikaly, and Rizvi Hassan.
Organised into seven sections, each points to a different typology of collective life. It opens with 'Reimagining the Oasis', exploring the role of the oasis in transmitting cultures over time. Hassan Fathy examined rural typologies along waters for sustainable, collective living, while Abeer Seikaly created the domed 'Weaving a Home' tent inspired by Bedouin craftsmanship.
We are meeting in a difficult hour, when displacement, destruction and destabilisation are daily words across our region and beyond.
The exhibition is produced by Qatar Museums and organized by the forthcoming Art Mill Museum. The Venice Biennale is often described as the world’s most prestigious international art exhibition, bringing together countries, artists, and curators from across the globe every two years. The 61st International Art Exhibition includes 86 National Participations, with four countries participating for the first time: Republic of Benin, Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of Timor Leste, and United Republic of Tanzania.
The International Exhibition is on display in the Central Pavilion at Giardini and at the Arsenale, divided into Nucleo Contemporaneo and Nucleo Storico. The exact opening date and duration of the Qatar Pavilion have not been confirmed. How the pavilion's participatory format aligns with the Biennale's overall curatorial framework remains unclear.
Culture connects what conflict tries to break apart and honours the humanity in each of us.
Specific details of the real-time artworks and performances inside the pavilion have not been disclosed.
This pavilion is about the idea of gathering, of listening, of conversing, of eating and sharing food together.
You’re not going in to see an artwork on a wall. You’re actually a part of artwork.