Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, the world's leading institution for modern and contemporary art from the Arab world, has announced that a significant campus expansion is underway. 

This expansion is being led by the renowned Lebanese-born architect Lina Ghotmeh, the founder and principal of the Paris-based studio Lina Ghotmeh – Architecture. Ghotmeh is also the architect responsible for the upcoming Qatar Pavilion at the Giardini of Venice Biennale.

The phased expansion, which was timed to coincide with Mathaf's 15th anniversary, began on December 16 with the opening of a brand-new, majlis-inspired library and conversation area devoted to local art publications. It was constructed around a set of adaptable, building-block-like furniture units that can be rearranged to suit various purposes. 

Redesigned Mathaf ground floor featuring a new lobby, library and café unveiled on the occasion of Mathaf’s 15th anniversary celebration

What is now the Museum's parking lot and plaza will be transformed into studio spaces for designers and artists working in textiles, ceramics, glass, and sound in the coming years.

These developments highlight Mathaf's position as the world's leading hub for Arab modernism and exhibition. They also signal the start of a new chapter in the institution's history, one in which it will become a hub for the production of fresh artwork and concepts.

"It is my honour to accept this remarkable commission and to have the opportunity to create new spaces for Mathaf and transform its architecture," said Lina Ghotmeh, founder and principal of the Paris-based studio. 

"The Arab Museum of Modern Art is a rightly cherished and unrivalled institution that will evolve into an active Museum of making and learning, in addition to exhibiting and displaying."

"Alongside the future Qatar Pavilion in the Giardini of La Biennale di Venezia, this expansion will offer the world a remarkable space for the presentation of art and ideas, especially by artists from our part of the world," Ghotmeh added.

Sound Studio

The first phase of the expansion, which has been completed, transforms the ground floor of the museum into an open-plan library where guests may peruse a wide range of art books and publications from the Mathaf and Qatar Museums. 

It also serves as a community center, hosting a variety of seminars, workshops, and activities. In addition to the Majlis, QC+ has an expanded book and gift shop and a casual dining café.

There is a recently commissioned painting of His Highness in the renovated atrium. Renowned Chinese painter Yan Pei-Ming's Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. The painting will go among the portraits of Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, and The Father Amir that were commissioned for Mathaf's 2015 launch.

"We are extremely proud to mark our 15th anniversary by inaugurating a new chapter in the Museum's history. By expanding Mathaf’s programmes and spaces to include residency studios, makerspaces, and workshops for ceramics and glassmaking, as well as a unique sound residency programme, we are transforming the Museum into a place where artists can also create," said Zeina Arida, Director of Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art.

Tarek Atoui, Waters' Witness

"This significant development will enhance visitor experience, strengthen community engagement and reinforce Qatar's investment in developing infrastructure for its growing creative economy," Arida added.

By converting current warehouses into specialized studio spaces created for the functional programming in cooperation with well-known artists serving as advisors, next stages of the expansion will create a single Museum campus. 

These will include: a state-of-the-art ceramics studio designed in collaboration with ceramicist Adrian Müller, featuring shared dry and wet studio spaces and specialized kilns that allow ceramicists to create large-scale pieces; a makerspace dedicated to glassmaking, woodworking, and materials experimentation, created in collaboration with artist Matteo Gonet; and a sound studio with cutting-edge facilities created in collaboration with Tarek Atoui.

These areas will serve as the foundation for a brand-new residency program. The ceramics studio will host open studios, hold public workshops, and give ceramicists a place to produce large-scale artworks. 

Sound artist Tarek Atoui will host an exhibition starting on December 17 that will hint to future residencies for sound artists. A new earthen ground plane will connect the campus through a landscape created to adapt to the local environment, while a new curtain-like architectural skin will unify the entire campus and give coherence to its volumes.

Mathaf exterior rendering

The top museum of modern and contemporary art in the Arab world is Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art. Discussions about modern art in the area and abroad are encouraged by the Museum's friendly and lively atmosphere.

Lina Ghotmeh — Architecture is a globally renowned architectural firm headed by Paris-based architect Lina Ghotmeh, who was born in Lebanon. 

The studio is renowned for its ecologically conscious, sustainable design that is based on skill, natural materials, and a very contextual approach. Lina Ghotmeh's "Archaeology of the Future" philosophy, which links architecture to history, nature, and materiality, serves as the foundation for this research-driven studio.

All images © Lina Ghotmeh — Architecture.

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