Mathaf and VCUarts Qatar Launch New Public Lecture Series

By the Editorial Team · Tuesday, September 1, 2026

Mathaf and VCUarts Qatar have launched Fanoon, a public lecture series and university seminar featuring internationally recognized artists to promote dialogue on contemporary art research in Doha. This initiative offers free public access to diverse artistic methodologies while deepening academic engagement across Education City, marking a new chapter in arts education and collaboration in the region.

Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, in partnership with Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUarts Qatar), has launched Fanoon, a new public lecture series and university seminar aimed at fostering dialogue between internationally recognized artists and local audiences in Doha. The initiative seeks to create a platform for exploring contemporary artistic research and methodologies.

The Fanoon series features four artists whose practices are anchored in distinct research themes. Rayyane Tabet will focus on archives and the built environment, while Bahar Noorizadeh will address issues surrounding digital and financial infrastructures. Shuddhabrata Sengupta, in collaboration with the Raqs Media Collective, will explore collective knowledge production. Lastly, Sandi Hilal and Alessandro Petti, through Decolonising Architecture Art Research (DAAR), will present their work on decolonial spatial practices.

The lectures will take place at Mathaf’s Makan Auditorium and are free and open to the public, providing a rare opportunity for audiences to engage directly with the artists' research and creative approaches. The series is held in partnership with Qatar Creates Talks, reinforcing its aim to broaden access to artistic discourse within the region.

In addition to the public lectures, a university seminar will be offered to students across Education City. Led by writer and curator Tirdad Zolghadr, who serves as curator of Academic Outreach at Mathaf, the seminar is designed to facilitate deeper academic engagement and discussion around the themes presented in the lectures.

Scheduled dates for the lectures are September 8 and 29, as well as October 27 and November 17. The program is seen as a continuation and expansion of VCUarts Qatar’s earlier Fanoon Center for Printmedia Research, established in 2012. The previous center was notable for pioneering print-publishing initiatives in the Middle East and fostering collaboration between local and international artists while providing hands-on learning experiences for students.

This new iteration of Fanoon aims to strengthen the collaboration between the museum and the university’s Department of Fine Arts, particularly its Painting and Printmaking program. Organizers emphasize that the initiative represents an experimental model for arts education and knowledge sharing, positioning it as a forward-looking platform for contemporary artistic practice within Qatar’s cultural landscape.

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