‘Giuseppe Penone: The Inner Flow of Life’ opens

Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, Chairperson of Qatar Museums, inaugurated Giuseppe Penone: The Inner Flow of Life at the National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ) on Monday. Co-curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Issa al-Shirawi, the exhibition showcases 25 artworks spanning 1970 to 2026, highlighting the Italian artist's fascination with the interplay between artistic and natural processes.

The display includes early pieces like Rovesciare i propri occhi (Reversing One’s Eyes, 1970) and recent works such as Vene di bronzo (Bronze Veins, 2026), illustrating themes like touch, growth, pressure, memory, and transformation. Qatar Museums will also feature a new public sculpture, Idee di Pietra, at the Old Doha Port. The exhibition is organized into five pavilions, each dedicated to a material central to Penone's practice: leaves, porcelain, thorns, marble, and leather.

Presenting works from different periods side by side, the show comprises sculptures, drawings, installations, photographs, and moving-image works, revealing the artist's ongoing focus on the physical qualities of matter and the marks humans leave on their environment. Issa al-Shirawi, co-curator and Head of International Exhibitions at Qatar Museums, expressed honor at opening this milestone exhibition for the Mena region, marking Penone's debut in the region.