Lisson Gallery at Art Basel Qatar 2026

21 January 2026

Lisson Gallery is pleased to announce its inaugural participation in Art Basel Qatar 2026, with a solo presentation of Colombian artist Olga de Amaral. The presentation will feature a monumental suite of textile-based works that expand the possibilities of material, abstraction, and form.

Amaral’s practice transforms base matter into radiant fields of color and weaves tectonic lines through space, traversing the boundaries between crafted objects and works of art. From the flat surfaces of tapestry through to resolutely three-dimensional sculptural forms made from fibre, the artist’s work spans more than 60 years, in turn reaching even further back to the spiritual qualities and ancient craquelure of medieval icon paintings or else the rigour and simplicity of the modernist grid, as if run through a loom.

On the booth, Cobalto (2014) pairs vivid cobalt blue with luminous palladium, evoking Colombia’s natural landscapes as well as its layered art history, with subtle references to both colonial and indigenous traditions. Cintas entrelazadas (1969) displays a vibrant, rhythmic palette of pinks, purples, yellow, and turquoise green, emphasizing the artist’s early exploration of color and interlaced form. Floresta B (2017), meaning a small grove of trees, translates its organic subject into narrow, vertical compositions of multicolored gold and painted acrylic surfaces, suggesting growth, density, and upward movement.

Amaral’s practice has often been likened to the hermetic art of alchemy – the transformation of base matter into gold – a notion embodied in Cesta lunar 56 (1994), where linen, gesso, acrylic, Japanese paper, and gold leaf converge in a richly tactile, transmutative surface. In Lienzo ceremonial III (1987), painted threads unfurl and cascade like grass or flowing water; precisely layered and overlapped, these strands generate a textured topography that heightens the work’s sense of depth, movement, and material complexity.

Fellow Lisson artist Wael Shawky has been appointed Artistic Director for the inaugural edition, revolving around the theme ‘Becoming’, a meditation on humanity’s ongoing transformation and the evolving systems that shape how we live, believe, and create meaning.

Shawky says: 'It is a privilege to work with Art Basel on this groundbreaking new format. The opportunity to explore artistic practices from across the MENA region and beyond, within a framework that values research, narrative, and experimentation, is extremely meaningful to me. I look forward to collaborating with galleries and artists to help shape a platform that speaks to the complexity and richness of the region while remaining globally relevant.’

Image: Olga de Amaral, Cesta lunar 56, 1994, Linen, gesso, acrylic, Japanese paper, and gold leaf, 210.2 x 269.9 x 4.4 cm, 82 3/4 x 106 1/4 x 1 3/4 in © Olga de Amaral, Courtesy Lisson Gallery