The show is co-curated by architects Rem Koolhaas and Samir Bantal and presented by presented jointly by the National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ) and Qatar Preparatory School (QPS), in collaboration with Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD), Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MoECC), Hassad Food and Kahramaa.
The exhibition is on view till 30 June 2026 and explores the global countryside as a site of resilience and possibilities, challenging the long-standing assumption that urban life is the inevitable future for most of the world’s population.
NMoQ, Director Sheikh Abdulaziz Al Thani describes the project as “deeply informative, engaging, and innovative,” aligning with the museum’s mission to connect Qatar’s heritage with its ambitions for the future.
The exhibition builds on the first edition presented at the Guggenheim Museum in New York in 2020. It expands its scope to investigate what Koolhaas and Bantal call “the arc”, a vast band of rural land stretching from South Africa through East Africa, across the Middle East and into Central and East Asia.
With the involvement of over 100 international collaborators, the show examines how digital connectivity, shifting demographics and environmental change are reshaping rural life, from coding schools in barns to sustainable farming models and revived craft traditions. The exhibition argues that the countryside is not a relic of the past, but a site of relevance where innovation and heritage can coexist seamlessly.
The exhibition acts as a school, transforming Qatar Preparatory School’s classrooms into active research labs through a year-long programme of workshops, discussions and experiments. The school’s outdoor fields present real-time demonstrations of desert farming and innovation.
Through its layered research and immersive installations, Countryside: A Place to Live, Not to Leave invites visitors to rethink how rural worlds shape and will continue to shape the planet’s future.
Visit: qm.org.qa
Mariam Khawer is a Dubai-based writer and PR professional whose work spans food, art, and travel across the region. When she isn’t chasing deadlines, she’s likely at a gallery opening, testing out a new restaurant, piecing together one of her mixed-media art projects or at home with her four cats, who keep her on her toes.
