The Qatar Museums (QM) has announced the opening of untitled 2025 (no bread no ashes), a new public installation by international artist Rirkrit Tiravanija, which will be on view at the Museum of Islamic Art Park in Doha, Qatar, from October 30, 2025 until January 30, 2026. The work marks the artist’s first intervention in Qatar and represents the preliminary launch of Rubaiya Qatar, a quadrennial multidisciplinary visual arts exhibition whose official debut is scheduled for November 2026. Tiravanija’s installation transforms an area of MIA Park into an octagonal pavilion inspired by Islamic geometry and local heritage, conceived as a space for sharing and gathering. Visitors can participate in the preparation and consumption of bread, with the aim of fostering cultural exchange and community dialogue. The facility houses four traditional ovens and platesrepresentative of the different cultures present in Qatar, particularly from the South and the Middle East. Every Friday, from 4 to 6 p.m., local bakers will activate the space by baking and distributing bread, transforming the site into a weekly gathering point and an opportunity to reflect on collective practices and shared hospitality.
Untitled 2025 (no bread no ashes) is part of Tiravanija’s long quest for art as social experience, in which everyday activities such as cooking and eating become gestures of connection and tools for collective reflection. The choice of a participatory work responds to Rubaiya Qatar’s desire to promote inclusion and collaboration, central elements of the new cultural initiative. Rubaiya Qatar is a national project developed by ALRIWAQ, an institution dedicated to research, exhibitions and contemporary public art, led by Sheikha Reem Al Thani, with Sheikha Alanood Al Thani as director of Rubaiya Qatar. Under the supervision of Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, chairman of Qatar Museums, Rubaiya Qatar will offer a multifaceted program of artists, commissions, exhibitions, public art projects, publications, residencies and community development initiatives. The stated goal is to stimulate new generations of artists and thinkers, both in Qatar and internationally.
“As Qatar celebrates 50 years of creativity and culture, we are proud to present Rirkrit Tiravanija’s participatory pavilion as the first activation of Rubaiya Qatar,” said Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. “This project represents our commitment to community, dialogue and creativity as the foundations of cultural exchange. Rubaiya Qatar will further extend Qatar Museums’ mission to connect national heritage with global contemporary practices and strengthen Qatar’s role as a vibrant center for art and ideas.”
" Rirkrit Tiravanija’s Untitled 2025 (no bread no ashes) embodies Rubaiya’s spirit of inclusion and collaboration,“ claims Sheikha Reem Al Thani. ”By inviting people to bake and share bread, the project transforms a simple gesture into a symbol of community and dialogue. The work marks the beginning of Rubaiya Qatar’s journey toward its first edition in 2026, which will continue to promote creative exchange and reflect Qatar’s diverse and dynamic cultural landscape."
The first edition, scheduled to take place between November 2026 and spring 2027, will take place at several sites across the country, including ALRIWAQ, recently renovated by OMA Studio. The main exhibition, Unruly Waters, will be curated by Tom Eccles, Ruba Katrib, Mark Rappolt, and Shabbir Hussain Mustafa, and draws inspiration from historian SunilAmrith ’s studies on the interactions between populations and water resources. The review will address issues related to global ecology, the mobility of peoples and the natural processes that shape contemporary societies, highlighting the connection between local dynamics and global phenomena.
“Through our programs, commissions and exhibitions, we aim to foster meaningful dialogue, stimulate creativity and reflect the dynamic culture that makes Qatar a unique destination for art and community engagement,” says Sheikha Alanood Al Thani.
“Speaking to specific geographies and taking as its guide global weather systems and their effects on local environments,” comments Tom Eccles, principal curator of Rubaiya Qatar, "Unruly Waters traces an understanding of globalism as a product of nature as much as commerce. Rooted in Qatar, the exhibition highlights the diversity of the local population and presents the country as a place of past, present and future global connections."
In addition to Tiravanija’s installation, the Rubaiya Qatar program includes other exhibitions and public projects, including curatorial interventions by Wadha Al Aqeedi and Lina Patmali, the full schedule for which will be announced in spring 2026. The work at MIA Park opens with a live performance by Tiravanija on Oct. 30 as part of Qatar Creates, an initiative part of the Evolution Nation campaign celebrating 50 years of culture in the country. From Nov. 7 to Jan. 30, local chefs and bakers, including Noof Al Marri, will be involved in the daily activation of the pavilion. The installation recalls previous projects by the artist, such as the 2021 performance for BIENALSUR in Argentina, inspired by Victor Grippo, and in line with the Qatar-Argentina and Chile 2025 Year of Culture. Evolution Nation traces Qatar’s 50 years of cultural development and Qatar Museums’ 20 years of operation, positioning the country as a global hub for art, culture and creativity. Tiravanija with his project thus marks the concrete beginning of Rubaiya Qatar’s journey, turning a simple daily gesture into a symbol of dialogue and community.
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| Rirkrit Tiravanija inaugurates Rubaiya Qatar with an installation at MIA Park |
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