Taking Shape

Taking Shape is a major exhibition and catalogue produced by the Barjeel Art Foundation that traces the development and diversity of abstraction across the Arab world.

Curated to showcase underrecognized artists and movements, it foregrounds regional histories of modernism and the varied forms abstraction has taken in Arab contexts.

The project has played an important role in reframing art-historical narratives to include Arab contributions to global modernism.

It includes essays and archival materials that document artists, exhibitions, and cross-regional influences.

The exhibition has influenced other institutions, including museums in the Gulf, to further engage with Arab abstraction in their programming.