Doha: Qatar Museums has opened "Beyti
Beytak - My Home is Your Home," an exhibition exploring ideas of home,
hospitality, and belonging through architecture, art, and design.
Organised by the future Art Mill Museum and
on view until May 29, 2027, the exhibition is presented at the historic Fahad
bin Ali Palace, marking the first time the 1953 landmark next to the Amiri
Diwan has opened to the public.
First presented at the 19th International
Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia in 2025, Beyti Beytak has been
expanded for its Doha presentation, including a new commission by Iraqi
architect Ola Znad and archival research tracing Doha's urban development.
Bringing together more than 40 architects,
designers, and practitioners from the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia
(MENASA) and beyond, the exhibition looks at architecture as a social and
cultural practice rooted in home, hospitality, collective care, and shared
responsibility. Across seven sections, visitors encounter architectural models,
drawings, archival material, films, and site-specific installations exploring
communal places, from desert oases and sacred spaces to private residences and
contemporary museums. Set within a palace that combines Art Deco and vernacular
Qatari architecture, the exhibition places contemporary practice in
conversation with Doha's own built heritage.
At the centre of the Doha presentation is
Souq Al Liqa, a new work by Ola Znad inspired by the communal role of women in
the Ahwar, the marshes of southern Iraq. The installation honours the Marsh
Arab women who have carried knowledge of weaving, dyeing, storytelling, and
hospitality across generations. Conceived as a living marketplace and cultural
ecosystem, it will host public activities throughout the exhibition's run.
"Beyti Beytak" brings together
pioneering modernists, including Raj Rewal (India), Nayyar Ali Dada (Pakistan),
Abeer Seikaly (Jordan), and Minnette de Silva (Sri Lanka), alongside
contemporary architects and practices such as Marina Tabassum and Nabil Haque
(Bangladesh), AAU Anastas (Palestine/France), Sameep Padora [sP + A] and
Balkrishna Doshi, Vastu-Shilpa Foundation (India), DAAZ Studio (Iran), Ahmed
Hossam Saafan (Egypt), Sumaya Dabbagh (Saudi Arabia), Diller Scofidio + Renfro
(USA), and Meriem Chabani with New South & sOne (France). The exhibition
also reflects on the legacy of Egyptian architect and urbanist Hassan Fathy and
his commitment to vernacular forms, techniques, and materials.
Director of Concept at Art Mill Museum Catherine Grenier said: "Beyti Beytak is a clear expression of what the Art Mill Museum will be: an institution that places the creativity of the MENASA region at the heart of a global conversation. Opening the doors of the Fahad bin Ali Palace for the first time allows the public to experience these ideas in one of Doha's architectural treasures."
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