New works by Yunchul Kim, an internationally active Korean contemporary media artist, will be presented at Qatar’s first Art Basel, ‘Art Basel Qatar 2026.’
 
On the 14th, Barakat Contemporary announced that it will participate in Art Basel Qatar 2026, curated by artistic director Wael Shawky, marking the fair’s inaugural edition with a booth presentation featuring new works from Yunchul Kim’s ‘Strata’ series.

Yunchul Kim, who has asked fundamental questions about “material,” has shown the possibilities of imagination and the creation of another reality that goes beyond the realm of human experience, paying attention to its potential tendencies.
 
Yunchul Kim’s body of work embodies the material world imagined by the artist and is a story of a dimension before humans formed cultures or were defined by language. His works, in which humans, non-humans, machines, materials, and substances are considered equal, exist as a “non-human agency” and “initiating agent,” as the subject of imperceptible events.

First presented in 2024, the ‘Strata’ series is an installation composed of cellulose particles extracted from wood, employing “structural color”—a phenomenon in which molecular structures reflect light differently to produce color. Thousands of small glass tubes containing this material come together to form a large-scale installation. Although physically static, the work undergoes chromatic shifts in response to temperature changes, creating an impression of a living, breathing organism.
 
Meanwhile, marking Art Basel’s first-ever edition in Qatar, the fair launches as a major new platform in the region, accompanied by large-scale programmes unfolding across Msheireb Downtown Doha.
 
Comprising nine large-scale newly commissioned works— the largest group ever presented at a single Art Basel fair— featuring sculptures, installations, and performances activating key public and cultural sites across the city.

References

• 바라캇 컨템포러리 인스타그램 (Barakat Contemporary Instagram)
• Art Basel Qatar 2026