With Dima Srouji, artist and curator 

Friday 13 November 2026, 16:45–17:05 Barcelona time (17:45–18:05 Palestine time) 
Location: El Born. Museu d’Història de Barcelona, Spain 
Language: English 

At The Best in Heritage conference in Barcelona, artist and curator Dima Srouji presents “Gaza Unearthed: A Rehearsal in Return”, drawing on her work with curator Hooda Shawa on the forthcoming exhibition “Gaza Unearthed: Colonial Archaeology in Mandate Gaza”. 

The exhibition examines archaeological excavations in Gaza during the British Mandate and the removal of artefacts from Palestine. It brings together archival and historical material, replicas of displaced artefacts, and art installations in the Palestinian Museum’s gardens in Birzeit. 

Srouji considers what happens when artefacts are severed from the land and communities to which they belong, and what this means for the histories and knowledge embedded in them. She explores how art and museum practice might rehearse their return, drawing on archives, craft and local knowledge to reconnect displaced heritage with its historical and cultural contexts and reclaim the right to narrate and interpret its histories. 

The Museum’s participation follows its 2025 CIMAM Outstanding Museum Practice Award for “Gaza Remains the Story”. The conference brings together award-winning museum and heritage projects from around the world to share experiences, discuss the challenges of museum practice, and consider new approaches to history, heritage, and memory