In Conversation with Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art

This episode of MAP’s Director’s Cut series features Zeina Arida, Director of Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art.

Founded in 2010, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art was established by Qatar Foundation (QF), under the leadership of Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser. The museum’s collection comprises more than 9,000 pieces of modern and contemporary art by Arab artists and is the largest specialised collection of its kind in the world. Serving as a space for both art production and display, it has become a space for facilitating dialogue and scholarship about modern and contemporary art with artists in residency in Doha.

An expert in the arts and culture and heritage sectors in the Arab world, with a focus on photography, archives and modern and contemporary art from the region, Arida joined as the Director of the museum in 2021. She previously served as the Director of the Sursock Museum, and was in charge of reopening the museum after a ten-year renovation and expansion project. She was responsible for making it a prominent cultural landmark, leading several special projects and pivotal and played a pivotal role in the reconstruction and restoration of the artworks in the museum after the unfortunate Beirut explosion in 2020.

The Director’s Cut series, anchored by MAP’s Director, Kamini Sawhney, offers a glimpse into how the institution of the museum is being reimagined and reinvented today. It presents a unique opportunity to hear from reputed practitioners in museums around the world, as they reflect on their institutional experiences, behind-the-scenes challenges, unique initiatives, and more.