Qatar taps Tiravanija for Venice
Qatar announced Rirkrit Tiravanija will represent its pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale and plans to assemble musicians, chefs, and artists from across the Arab world for the presentation. (Artforum reported Tiravanija’s appointment and The Peninsula Qatar published pavilion presentation details) (artforum.com) (thepeninsulaqatar.com).
Qatar has picked Rirkrit Tiravanija to represent its national pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale. (artforum.com) The pavilion said on April 14 that Tiravanija’s project is titled *untitled 2026 (a gathering of remarkable people)* and will run during the 61st International Art Exhibition from May 9 to November 22, 2026, with previews on May 6, 7, and 8. (thepeninsulaqatar.com) (labiennale.org) Qatar said the presentation will center on a tent-like structure and bring together musicians, poets, chefs, and artists from across the Arab world. The pavilion named Sophia Al-Maria, Tarek Atoui, and Alia Farid among the participants, with Tom Eccles and Ruba Katrib as co-curators. (thepeninsulaqatar.com) (qatar-tribune.com) The appointment lands as Qatar expands its footprint in Venice beyond a one-off showing. Qatar Museums announced in February 2025 that it would build a permanent national pavilion in the Giardini, joining 30 other countries with permanent sites there. (qm.org.qa) That move was notable because new permanent pavilions in the Giardini are rare. Qatar Museums said only Australia and the Republic of Korea had opened new ones there in the previous 50 years. (qm.org.qa) (theartnewspaper.com) Tiravanija is known for art built around gathering, cooking, and shared space rather than a single static object. Qatar Museums used the same social language in a 2025 Doha installation by the artist that invited bakers from different communities to use the work as a place of exchange. (qm.org.qa) Qatar first took part officially in the Venice cycle in 2025, during the 19th International Architecture Exhibition, with *Beyti Beytak. My Home is Your Home. La mia casa è la tua casa*. That show was organized by the future Art Mill Museum and examined hospitality in architecture across the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. (qm.org.qa) The 2026 art edition is proceeding under the title *In Minor Keys*, the exhibition conceived by curator Koyo Kouoh before her death. La Biennale di Venezia said it would carry out her exhibition with the support of her family. (labiennale.org) For Qatar, the choice of Tiravanija ties a new national pavilion to an artist whose work treats the exhibition itself as a gathering place. The result in Venice next month will be less a conventional solo show than a staged meeting of food, music, and art under one roof. (artforum.com) (thepeninsulaqatar.com)
