Seething Sea (baHrun masjuwrin) explores how people in the Arabian Gulf have understood and lived with the sea, and how extraction, environmental damage and warfare have strained that relationship. Faith, folklore, ritual and craft provide the exhibition’s ways into this history.
The title draws on an image of a burning sea in the Holy Qur’an. Curator Wadha Al-Aqeedi and Assistant Curator Loulwah Kutbi use this image to connect religious ideas about the end of the world with ecological crisis.
Three parts of a maritime story
The exhibition moves through three themes: water as the beginning of life; the lives and livelihoods sustained by the sea; and the meeting of religious and environmental visions of catastrophe. This structure may appeal to visitors interested in how art connects Gulf cultural traditions with present-day concerns.
More than 50 artists and over 80 works bring these themes into focus. The selection combines works from Mathaf’s collection and loans with a new large-scale commission by Jasem AlSanea. Participating artists include Abeer Al-Kuwari, Dia Azzawi, Hassan Sharif, Jassim Zaini, Manal AlDowayan, Monira Al Qadiri and Sophia Al-Maria.
Exhibition dates and venue
Organised by Qatar Museums, Seething Sea is scheduled for 22 November 2026 to 30 April 2027 at Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha.
