Doha, Qatar: Qatar Museums today unveiled Rock on Top of Another Rock, a large-scale public artwork by the celebrated Swiss artists Peter Fischli (b. 1952) and David Weiss (1946–2012). Installed in Doha's Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) Park, this striking sculpture transforms two granite boulders into a profound meditation on strength, fragility, and the human dialogue with nature.

HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa unveiled the artwork in the presence of Sheikha Reem Al Thani, Acting Deputy CEO of Exhibitions, Public Art, and Rubaiya Qatar at Qatar Museums and many other dignitaries.

The monumental sculpture, standing approximately 5.5 metres (18 feet) high, is poised at the boundary between the organic world and human construction, suggesting both permanence and precariousness. Fischli and Weiss, collaborators for more than 30 years before Weiss's death in 2012, are best known for combining, rearranging, and experimenting with media to present everyday objects in unexpected configurations. Rock on Top of Another Rock embodies their fascination with the line between stability and instability, turning the seemingly heroic act of piling up massive boulders into a meditative artistic statement.

Sheikha Reem Al Thani, Deputy CEO of Exhibitions, Public Art, and Rubaiya Qatar at Qatar Museums, said,“At Qatar Museums, we believe that public art has the power to inspire reflection, provoke ideas, and create moments of connection. Rock on Top of Another Rock embodies art's ability to transform our relationship with the spaces we inhabit. By placing this artwork in MIA Park, we invite visitors to step into dialogue with nature, architecture, and the city and experience the poetry of this sculpture's remarkable simplicity.”

For over three decades, Peter Fischli and David Weiss collaborated on a body of work that transformed the ordinary into the extraordinary through sculpture, photography, and film. Blurring the boundaries between art and everyday life, their practice embraced humor, curiosity, and precision. They are best known for The Way Things Go (1987), a film in which a chain reaction of commonplace objects unfolds with mesmerizing logic, and for works such as Wursterie (Sausage Series, 1979), Polyurethane Objects (begun 1982), and Visible World (1986–2012). Their work has been presented at major institutions worldwide, including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Museo Jumex, and at Documenta and the Venice Biennale, where they received the Golden Lion in 2003.

Peter Fischli said,“To put one rock on top of another rock in the wilderness is the first thing you do if you want to make a mark. When you walk and you want to find your way back, you make this mark. It is a very archaic, simple thing. We wanted to make something that forces youtube stop your car and get out to take a photograph."

Originally presented in London's Hyde Park, with a parallel commission in Norway, Rock on Top of Another Rock is a legacy project of the Qatar-UK 2013 Year of Culture. Its presentation in Doha extends the cultural dialogue begun between the two nations more than a decade ago, showing how artistic exchange can bridge cultures and inspire reflection.

Qatar Museums' public art programme presents artworks in dialogue with the city, the desert, and the sea. This permanent public art installation has been unveiled as part of Evolution Nation, an 18-month campaign honouring Qatar's cultural journey over the past 50 years. Curated by Qatar Creates, the national movement positioning Qatar as a global hub for art, culture, and creativity, Evolution Nation highlights the nation's cultural milestones and its aspirations for the future.

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