Qatar Museums has just revealed the roster of designers and exhibitions for the inaugural edition of Design Doha. Running from February 24 to August 5, 2024, Design Doha is a new Design Biennial showcasing over 100 Middle Eastern and North African designers. The announcement outlines six exhibitions launching during the first week, spotlighting innovation within Qatar and the region at large.
Anchoring the program is “Arab Design Now,” a survey of more than 70 Arab designers featuring 38 commissioned works. Curated by Rana Beiruti, co-founder of Amman Design Week, the exhibition will be housed at M7, Doha’s center for innovation, entrepreneurship, fashion, and design. It explores the unique geographies and cultural values of the Levant, the Gulf, and North Africa. Furthermore, the display emphasizes these regions' design sentiments, aesthetics, and concerns.
"Arab Design Now" showcases a wide range of designers, such as Elias and Yousef Anastas, Basma Hamdy, Levi Hammett, and many more. It explores environmental sustainability while combining traditional and modern design techniques. Alongside "Arab Design Now," the inaugural edition of Design Doha will host five additional exhibitions: "Colors of the City: A Century of Architecture in Doha," "Weaving Poems," "100/100 HUNDRED BEST ARABIC POSTERS Round 04," and "Cultural Kinship."
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Desert X AlUla 2024: Exploring Unseen Art in Saudi Arabia's Desert Region from February 9 to March 23Designers, from the Levant to the Gulf to North Africa, exhibit a commitment to heritage-based traditions and rituals and an eagerness to rediscover, reinterpret, and evolve them. Their design process is inspired by a culture centered on community, collaboration, and co-creation. Their material sensibilities exhibit an intimate relationship with the land and earth and respond to the unique geographies of the region. –Rana Beiruti, Curator of “Arab Design Now.”
Every display presents a diverse point of view, ranging from examining the development of Doha's architecture to honoring Arabic graphic design and Uzbek traditional craft practices. Together, these works solidify Design Doha's position as an essential forum for advancing innovation, creativity, and conversation among the design community on a local and international scale.
In similar news, the second edition of the Architecture Triennial in Sharjah is currently ongoing until March 10th, 2024. Curated by Tosin Oshinowo, the exhibition focuses on “The Beauty of Impermanence: An Architecture of Adaptability.” Additionally, Beta 2024 - Timișoara Architecture Biennial, now in its fifth edition, has chosen Romanian architect, designer, and educator Oana Stănescu as this year’s curator. Finally, Carlo Ratti has been appointed as the next curator of the International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia.
