The Palestine Museum US has announced that its first satellite project will open in Edinburgh on 17 May. It will be, according to the museum’s director Faisal Saleh, “the first museum in Europe wholly dedicated to contemporary Palestinian art”.
The establishment of the new museum, which will be located in the Scottish city’s historic Georgian New Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and civic arts hub, is “crucial in the face of Western media's persistent negative coverage of Palestine and the alarming cancellations of Palestinian events,” Saleh says.
By expanding to Edinburgh from the museum’s home base in Conneticut, US, he says, “the Palestine Museum US aims to provide a vital platform for Palestinian voices, challenging dominant narratives and showcasing the rich cultural heritage of Palestine.”
Since the Israel-Hamas war began in October 2023, numerous events across the UK focusing on Palestinian culture have been cancelled by the hosting institution. This includes a film screening and poetry evening that was due to be held at the Arnolfini, a contemporary art centre in Bristol, in December 2023. In statement from the centre at the time, it cited security concerns, saying it “hosting events which combine film, performance and discussion panels meant we could not be confident that the event would not stray into political activity”.
Last December, the Palestine Museum US said it was considering renting the former Israeli embassy in Dublin, which was vacated after Israel recalled its ambassador. Saleh says, however, that his efforts were “stonewalled”. This was despite great support from the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign, and even the efforts of Irish celebrity advocates.
Saleh was alerted that the space at 13a Dundas Street in Edinburgh was available by friends at the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign, and in spite of some stiff competition, was able to lease it. The site, the former home of Arusha gallery, is set over 1,141 square feet in a Georgian building built in 1810. Saleh will oversee the space remotely while it will be run on the ground, he says, by local volunteers.
The museum’s director Faisal Saleh was alerted that the space at 13a Dundas Street in Edinburgh was available by friends at the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign
Courtesy of Palestine Museum US
The museum’s inaugural exhibition will be a retrospective of Palestinian art from the last decade. It will feature work by artists from Palestine and its diaspora, practising in a wide range of mediums and from different generations. Among them are Samia Halaby, Nabil Anani and Sana Farah Bishara. Recent works made by artists in Gaza, such as Mohammed Alhaj and Maisara Baroud, will be present either in their original form or in digital reproduction.
Saleh, who explains he expects to put on more thematic exhibitions in the future, says of the new space: "We couldn't have found a better location. 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."
