Architect Sumayya Vally, Counterspace presents In the Assembly of Lovers, an installation commissioned for the inaugural Art Basel Qatar, taking place in Doha from 3–7 February 2026. Curated by Egyptian artist Wael Shawky, the fair explores the theme ‘Becoming’ – a meditation on humanity’s ongoing transformation and the evolving systems that shape how we live, believe, and create meaning.

Titled In the Assembly of Lovers, a line attributed to mystic poets including Rabia al-Adawiyya, Vally’s installation pays homage to destroyed or damaged gathering spaces across the Muslim world. Drawing from a constellation of sites, from the courtyards of Córdoba to the gardens of Gaza, from Kashmir’s riverfronts to the stoeps of District Six and the Msheireb in Qatar, the work weaves together memory, architecture, and collective presence. Each of these was a place of gathering, where prayer and poetry, commerce and contemplation, coexistence and dissent lived side by side.

“In the Assembly of Lovers is rooted in a longing for collective spaces that have been fragmented by displacement, violence, and urban erasure. By assembling fragments from places across the Muslim world, the installation gestures toward a shared architectural memory—one that insists on gathering as an act of love, hope and resistance,” says Sumayya Vally.

Acknowledging the majlis as one of the most enduring spatial institutions within Islamic civilization, embodying the seamless integration of architectural form, social function, and spiritual principle, the work references its spatial logic.

Conceived as a living ground for encounter, rather than a fixed, static structure, In the Assembly of Lovers presents an architecture in flux: each day unfolding into a new configuration, hosting a different assembly, performance, or conversation. Its rhythm, atmosphere, and tempo shift with each gathering, emphasizing architecture as something activated by the presence of the people who inhabit it.

Constructed from plywood and micro cement, the installation is accompanied by an eight-channel sound work. Together, material and sound create a space that is at once intimate and collective, grounded and ephemeral.

In the Assembly of Lovers can be experienced between 5-7 February on Barahat Square, and across various locations throughout the fair, becoming a living monument to how we once gathered and how we might gather again.

Art Basel Qatar's inaugural edition will explore the theme ‘Becoming’ – a meditation on humanity’s ongoing transformation and the evolving systems that shape how we live, believe, and create meaning. The Gulf emerges as a living palimpsest – a region where oral traditions intersect with digital networks, and ancient trade routes are reimagined as contemporary flows of culture and capital. Within this layered context, art becomes a vital conduit, translating systemic shifts into form. It acts not only as a witness to history but as an active force in the continual redefinition of human identity.

Internationally acclaimed, Egyptian-born artist Wael Shawky serves as Artistic Director of the fair's first edition. Together with Vincenzo de Bellis, Art Basel’s Chief Artistic Officer and Global Director of Fairs, Shawky leads the curatorial vision of the 2026 edition and guides the gallery selection process, in consultation with the fair's dedicated Selection Committee. He brings deep regional insight and a multidisciplinary approach that aligns with the fair’s ambitions, including plans to transform Qatar Museum’s Fire Station into a platform for educational programmes.