Contemporary Arab art cannot be reduced to a single narrative, says Mathaf director

Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art director Zeina Arida emphasizes that contemporary Arab art cannot be simplified to a single story. Speaking about the exhibition Your Ghosts Are Mine: Expanded Cinemas, Amplified Voices, Arida stresses the importance of acknowledging the diverse histories, societies, and artistic traditions within the Arab world.

The exhibition, featuring over 40 artists and filmmakers from the Arab world, Africa, and Southeast Asia, aims to challenge audiences by presenting these artists alongside creative voices from other regions. This approach reflects the complementary roles of three Qatar Museums institutions: Mathaf, the future Art Mill Museum, and Doha Film Institute.

Arida highlights how artists are increasingly blurring the lines between film, video, documentary, fiction, and installation, making rigid distinctions between artistic categories less relevant. She emphasizes that museums should question established categories and present different artistic languages, connecting with the future Art Mill Museum's goal to integrate cinema more deeply into art presentation.

The exhibition also serves to explore connections between Arab artistic histories and those of other global regions, as artists and ideas have always moved across borders. For Arida, Qatar Museums' structure enables such exchanges by uniting organizations with diverse expertise. The ultimate aim is to create meaningful encounters among artists, ideas, institutions, and audiences, with the strongest legacy being sustained relationships beyond the exhibition's duration.