Sites of Imagination is a solo exhibition by Wafa al-Hamad, a pioneering Qatari artist whose practice merged modernist abstraction, cultural memory, and personal expression. Taking place at the Arab Museum of Modern Art (Mathaf) until 9 August 2025, the show is the first major institutional retrospective dedicated to al-Hamad. Curated by Lina Ramadan, a Palestinian-Lebanese writer and curator, it offers a wide-ranging exploration of her career as a painter, educator, and cultural innovator.
Displayed are more than 23 works (watercolours, oil paintings, digital compositions, wood pieces, and archival material), some on loan and others drawn from Mathaf’s permanent collection. From her early experiments in the 1980s to later, more conceptually layered works, Sites of Imagination maps out al-Hamad’s distinct visual language that seamlessly fused Arabic calligraphy, optical illusion, geometric abstraction, and architectural sensibility.
The exhibition comprises three sections. The first one, Stepping into the Future, highlights al-Hamad’s technical prowess through pieces such as Khida’a al-Basar (Optical Illusion) and Atlal (The Tower of Barzan), both from 1985, which demonstrate her fascination with spatial depth and perceptual play. The second section, Stepping into the Local, focuses on cultural memory and traditional practices. It presents works like Henna Night (1992), reflecting intimate moments from Gulf social life, rendered in symbolic, semi-abstract form.
The third section, Roots in Arab Modernisms: Selections from the Collection Beyond, contextualises al-Hamad within a broader lineage of Arab modernism. Juxtaposed with her contemporaries, her contributions are recognised as foundational to the development of a distinctly Gulf modern aesthetic. This section features works by such artists as Thuraya al-Baqsami (Kuwait), Fatima al-Muhib (Palestine), Samia al Said Omar, Wafika Sultan Saif al-Essa (Qatar), Balqees Fakhro (Bahrain), Tahia Halim (Egypt), Samia Halaby, Nadira Mahmoud (Oman), Najat Makki (UAE), Rabha Mahmoud (Oman), Leila Nseir (Syria), Naziha Selim (Iraq), Gazbia Sirry (Egypt), Latifa Toujani (Morocco), and Madiha Umar (Iraq).
About the artist
Wafa al-Hamad (b. 1964, Doha, Qatar – 2012) began her artistic journey at Al-Marsam Al-Hurr (The Free Atelier) in Doha (1981-1985) and joined the Qatar Fine Arts Association (QFAA) in the mid-1980s. In 1986, she became one of the first women to graduate with a BA in Art Education from Qatar University. Al-Hamad later pursued graduate studies in the USA, earning an MFA from Eastern Michigan University in 1991 and a Ph.D. in Art Education from the University of North Texas in 1998. Returning to Qatar, she taught at Qatar University from 2000 to 2011.
Al-Hamad’s time in the USA proved formative: it deepened her interest in colour theory, geometry, and optical illusion — hallmarks of her mature work. Al-Hamad developed a unique aesthetic that wove together Islamic art, Gulf heritage, and Arabic proverbs to create “portals into Gulf cultures,” using visual metaphors to reflect on identity, memory, and transformation.
Over the years, she exhibited widely, including a solo show with the QFAA at the Sheraton Hotel (Doha, 1988) and Abak Min Al Madi: Wafa al-Hamad at Qatar University (Doha, 2013). Her work was also included in important group exhibitions like Lived Forward: Art and Culture in Doha from 1960–2020 (Mathaf, 2020); the Sharjah Biennale 4 (1999); and the 1st Arab Women Artists Exhibition (Sharjah Art Foundation, Sharjah, 1996), among others.
To get more information about Sites of Imagination, please visit the official web page of the exhibition.
In addition, you might be interested in attending Nadia Saikali and Her Contemporaries and Your Ghosts Are Mine: Expanded Cinemas, Amplified Voices, two collective exhibitions.
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