The Media Majlis Museum at Northwestern University in Qatar celebrates the success of its 10th exhibition, "'Memememememe'," after three months of dynamic engagement, which invited thousands of visitors to explore the cultural, social, and political significance of internet memes. The exhibition, which opened on September 1st, 2025, marked the Museum's fifth anniversary and reaffirmed its role as a hub for critical conversations at the intersection of media, technology, and culture.
Throughout its run, the exhibition drew an enthusiastic and diverse audience of students, scholars, artists, and media professionals. Visitors interacted with artworks, ranging from digital installations to immersive environments, that unpacked the viral nature of online communication and its influence on collective identity.
Curated by Jack Thomas Taylor, curator of art, media, and technology at the Museum, and assistant curator Amal Zeyad Ali, the exhibition examined memes as cultural barometers through four conceptual measures: mass, length, time, and volume. This structure invited audiences to consider how memes spread and redefine our digital realities.
"Every visit to the Media Majlis Museum reminds me how powerfully it advances our academic mission," said Marwan M. Kraidy, dean and CEO of Northwestern Qatar. "Memememememe turned a familiar part of digital life into a catalyst for real inquiry, prompting visitors to question, analyze, and see culture differently."
The exhibition brings together a dynamic selection of artworks, including highlights such as The Roomba Cat by Franco and Eva Mattes, a sculpture featuring a cat perched atop a functioning robot vacuum cleaner that roams freely throughout the gallery. Also on view are the armatures of memes by Seohyo, as well as Curved Screen by Orkhan Mammadov.
The scenography, designed by Shepherd Studio, continued to captivate visitors with a space of endless circulation mirroring the ceaseless churn of digital content. Audience favorites included interactive works such as Andreas Refsgaard's AI photobooth and Adnan Aga's Narrative Laundry, both of which encouraged playful yet critical reflection on meme-making and online behavior.
The exhibition also featured seven newly commissioned works by artists Alia Leonardi, Anne Horel, Cem A., Eman Makki, Mauro C. Martinez, Orkhan Mammadov, and Seo Hyojung, whose pieces examined digital memory, identity, and collective emotion in the age of connectivity.
As the Museum concludes this milestone exhibition, Alfredo Cramerotti, director of Media Majlis Museum, remarked: "With Memememememe exhibition, we took a seemingly lighthearted subject and turned it into an opportunity for deep cultural reflection. The exhibition proved that memes are, in fact, powerful cultural tools that connect generations and challenge conventions."
Featuring 23 artworks by 12 artists spanning 11 countries, the exhibition became a meeting point for voices from across the globe. With the exhibition now concluded, the Museum reinforces its standing as a regional leader in exploring the intersections of media, culture, and technology. The Museum's upcoming 2026 programming will continue to expand this conversation.
As the first university museum dedicated to exploring journalism, communication, and media in the Arab world, the Media Majlis Museum continues to create immersive experiences that challenge conventional narratives.
About the Curators
Jack Thomas Taylor (b. 1991, United Kingdom) joined the Media Majlis Museum in 2017 as one of the founding curators and has worked extensively across multiple areas of the organization since its inception. In 2023, Taylor became a founding board member of the inaugural International Council of Museums (ICOM) national committee in Qatar.
Amal Zeyad Ali serves as Assistant Curator at the Media Majlis Museum at Northwestern University in Qatar. In 2024, she curated her inaugural exhibition at the Museum, entitled The limits of my language are the limits of my world.
About the Media Majlis Museum
The Media Majlis Museum at Northwestern University in Qatar is the first university museum in the Arab world dedicated to exploring journalism, communication, and media. Through engaging exhibitions, publications, programs, and online resources, the Museum creates immersive experiences that challenge conventional narratives.
About Northwestern University in Qatar
Northwestern University in Qatar is known for its distinguished history, famous programs, and exceptional faculty. Founded in partnership with the Qatar Foundation, Northwestern Qatar provides a framework through which students explore the world and, ultimately, shape its future through its distinguished programs in communication, journalism and strategic communication, and the liberal arts.
