Mirna Bamieh's 'Sour Things: The Door' Blends Food, Memory, and Migration at NIKA Project Space
Palestinian artist Mirna Bamieh is showcasing her exhibition, 'Sour Things: The Door,' at NIKA Project Space in Romainville, Paris. This exhibit, curated by Anne Davidian—who worked with the Pavilion of Armenia at the 59th Venice Art Biennale—explores themes of displacement and cultural preservation through the lens of food. It features 24 small okra sculptures made of porcelain, a shard divider that looks like a curtain, and watercolor maps alongside suitcases with Arabic calligraphy. A video installation presents immigrant stories from Lisbon discussing beloved ingredients like zaatar and olives, while another screen highlights Bamieh’s mother sharing food packing traditions in Palestine. The exhibition runs until May 23.
Key facts
- Mirna Bamieh's exhibition 'Sour Things: The Door' is on view at NIKA Project Space in Romainville, Paris.
- The show is curated by Anne Davidian, who curated the Pavilion of Armenia at the 59th Venice Art Biennale.
- The exhibition features 24 small-scale okra porcelain sculptures on the floor.
- A curtain-like porcelain shard divider symbolizes the peril of thresholds.
- A three-channel video installation includes testimonies from SWANA-region immigrants in Lisbon about food they carry from home.
- A separate screen shows Bamieh's mother in Palestine discussing packing food across generations.
- Bamieh has led Palestine Hosting Society since 2018.
- The exhibition runs until 23 May.
- NIKA Project Space's Parisian arm opened in 2024, following its UAE headquarters in 2023.
- The gallery focuses on artistic practitioners from the Global South.
Entities
Artists
- Mirna Bamieh
- Ghassan Kanafani
- Nazilya Nagimova
Institutions
- NIKA Project Space
- Palestine Hosting Society
- Pavilion of Armenia
- 59th Venice Art Biennale
- Sharjah Biennial
- Canvas
Locations
- Romainville
- Paris
- France
- Lisbon
- Portugal
- Palestine
- Lebanon
- UAE
- Jerusalem
- North Africa
- Levant
- SWANA region
- Algeria
- Kenya
- Tunisia
- Yemen
- Dubai
- United Arab Emirates
- Gaza
- West Bank
- Jaffa
- Sharjah