The Palestine Museum is set to open in Edinburgh on May 17, the Art Newspaper reports. The institution, an offshoot of the Palestine Museum US inaugurated in 2018 in Woodbridge, Connecticut, will be the first in Europe dedicated to contemporary Palestinian art. The new museum will occupy a roughly 1,100-square-foot space in an 1810 building in the city’s Georgian New Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a local arts hub.
Faisal Saleh, the museum’s director, told the Art Newspaper that the establishment of the institution was “crucial in the face of Western media’s persistent negative coverage of Palestine and the alarming cancellations of Palestinian events.” According to Saleh, with the fledgling institution “the Palestine Museum US aims to provide a vital platform for Palestinian voices, challenging dominant narratives and showcasing the rich cultural heritage of Palestine.”
Saleh, who founded the Palestine Museum US, will oversee the Edinburgh outpost remotely, while volunteers will run its day-to-day operations. The institution’s inaugural show will feature Palestinian art of the past decade in a variety of media by artists of different generations. Among the artists included are Nabil Anani, Sana Farah Bishara, and Samia Halaby, with recent works by Gaza-based artists, among them Mohammed Alhaj and Maisara Baroud, presented physically or digitally. Saleh has said the museum will host similar surveys in the future.
The Palestine Museum had earlier sought to open its European outpost in Dublin but failed to secure a lease on its desired property, the vacated Israeli embassy. “We couldn’t have found a better location,” Saleh said. “Edinburgh’s rich cultural landscape and commitment to artistic expression make it the perfect hub for our satellite museum. We look forward to sharing the stories and talents of Palestinian artists with the community and beyond”