Khalil Rabah : through the Palestinian museum of natural history and humankind

This is the catalogue of the exhibition 'Through the Palestinian Museum of Natural History and Humankind' curated by Claudia Gioia at the Merz Foundation in Turin (30.10.2023-25.02.2024). Aside from the photographic documentation of the exhibition at the Merz Foundation, the catalogue also includes a comprehensive selection of exhibition materials that is a presentation of the development of Rabah project to design a museum and turn an institution into a work of art.

The Palestinian Museum of Natural History and Humankind is a question and a symbol of how culture and a museum institution can help rewrite history, stimulating fresh perspectives that challenge the often narrowly imposed narratives. Despite its nomadic and ever-evolving nature, this museum has become a tangible reality. Inaugurated in 2003, after stages in cities such as Istanbul, Amsterdam, London, New York, Rome, Athens and Sharjah, arrives at the Merz Foundation in Turin and, in reorganising itself, beckons the public to explore its temporary extensions and to embrace its linguistic and aesthetic provocations.

Khalil Rabah bases his artistic practice on the reinterpretation of history and its interpretations. Spanning the realms of painting, sculpture and installation, he questions public perception, expectations and modes of display. In touching on themes of change, memory and identity, his works experiment with new ways of representing social communities and their relationship; trying to overcome the criticality of pivotal concepts such as museology and ethnography.

The book collects a hundred of images and texts by the exhibition curator Claudia Gioia and the art curator Mirjam Varadinis. (bron: website Merz Foundation)