(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art is celebrating its 15th anniversary with the launch of two major exhibitions designed to explore the institution's history, the origins of its foundational collection, and its role in engaging with contemporary political and social challenges.

Speaking to reporters at the press preview yesterday (October 30), Mathaf director Zeina Arida said the two exhibitions share a strong common thread: telling“stories of friendship, solidarity,” and offering“a very good idea of the journey that led to Mathaf as a major museum for modern and contemporary art in the world”.

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The exhibition, 'we refuse_d', brings together 15 multi-generational artists whose practices probe refusal, endurance, and action.

She noted that Mathaf first opened its doors in December 2010 in its current building, a repurposed school located in Doha's Education City. The museum is the result of a collaboration between Qatar Museums (QM) and Qatar Foundation, driven by the vision of Qatari artist Sheikh Hassan bin Mohammed bin Ali al-Thani, also a collector, researcher, and educator in the field of modern art from the Arab World.

The 'Resolutions: Celebrating 15 years of Mathaf' exhibition, on view from today (October 31) to August 8, 2026, examines Mathaf's foundation. It revisits the museum's primary vision through a display of its permanent collection, exploring four defining areas: Sheikh Hassan's pioneering efforts; the museum's expansive exhibition history; its engagement with knowledge circulation in the Arab world; and its response to defining Arab identity in the post-independence era.

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Vasif Kortun briefs reporters about the 'we refuse_d' exhibition at Mathaf yesterday (October 30). PICTURES: Joey Aguilar

Arida said the collection focuses heavily on the“network of solidarity” established by Sheikh Hassan, who started collecting at a young age. This included significant support for artistic production in the 1990s.

Before the official museum project began, she noted that Sheikh Hassan invited artists from Iraq following the Gulf War to come to Doha, an effort to support their creative output, stories which are showcased in the exhibition's first galleries alongside archival material.

Curators of the show aim to explore the legacy of Mathaf by showcasing the evolution of its research practices and its history of collaborations. According to Qatar Museums, the anniversary exhibition seeks to revive institutional memory while fostering decolonial discussions surrounding the visual identity of the Arab world in a global context.

Another anniversary exhibition, 'we refuse_d', shifts focus to contemporary practice, inviting artists to explore the tensions between resilience and action in response to modern political and social challenges.

Curated by Nadia Radwan and Vasif Kortun, Arida noted that 'we refuse_d' brings together 15 multi-generational artists whose practices probe refusal, endurance, and action. The artists ask what it means to persist, resist, and create under conditions of silencing, censorship, and displacement.

The artists are: Taysir Batniji, DAAR (Sandi Hilal and 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, Abdul Hay Mosallam Zarara.

Arida said the concept for 'we refuse_d' was born from reflecting on the museum's history, citing Mathaf's“stunning groundbreaking contemporary art exhibition” that marked its opening in 2010, titled 'Told, Untold, Retold'. Featuring commissioned works from 23 artists, this exhibition marked a significant conceptual departure, offering a fresh perspective on art and the world.

Arida said Resolutions and 'we refuse_d' are part of the Mathaf's ongoing mission to tell the stories behind the institution and its celebrated collection.

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