Wassan Al-Khudhairi

Wassan Al-Khudhairi is an Iraqi curator who specializes in modern and contemporary Arab art. Born in Kuwait to Iraqi parents, Al-Khudhairi brings serious institutional credentials, deep ties to Qatar, and an international curatorial résumé. She holds an MA with Distinction in Islamic Art and Architecture from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London, and is a graduate of the Getty Leadership Institute and a fellow of the Center for Curatorial Leadership program. In 2020, she was honored with ArtTable's New Leadership Award.

Career History

• 2025: Member of curatorial team for Hawaii Triennial
• 2017–2023: Chief Curator at Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis
• 2014–2017: Curator of modern and contemporary art at Birmingham Museum of Art
• 2017: Co-curator of 6th Asian Art Biennial in Taiwan
• 2012: Co-artistic director of 9th Gwangju Biennial in South Korea
• 2007–2012: Founding Director of Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in Qatar, overseeing the museum's launch and helping establish it as one of the Gulf's key contemporary art institutions

Throughout her career, Al-Khudhairi has earned recognition for her curatorial work. Her exhibition "Third Space: Shifting Conversations About Contemporary Art" at Birmingham Museum of Art earned an Award for Excellence from the American Association of Museum Curators in 2019. She brings deep understanding of how art ecosystems develop—how institutions are built, how markets are nurtured, and how education and public engagement create conditions for long-term growth.

What Al-Khudhairi could bring to Art Basel Qatar 2027: Her deep ties to Qatar and MENASA region, combined with her experience building major institutional art ecosystems, position her to deepen Art Basel Qatar's curatorial ambition while establishing it as a sustained platform for regional and global artistic exchange. She understands the mechanics of converting curatorial vision and market dynamics into long-term infrastructure growth.