Mirna Bamieh: Sour Things

The inaugural exhibition of NIKA Project Space Paris showcases a new body of work by the artist Mirna Bamieh which explores the politics of disappearance and memory. 

NIKA Project Space will open its second gallery space in Paris’ vibrant Komunuma art district on September 8, with an exhibition by Palestinian artist Mirna Bamieh.

This announcement from gallerist Veronika Berezina marks a significant step in the growth of NIKA Project Space, which is currently located in Dubai and hosts off-site projects across the city.   

In her search to find a Paris location that aligns with the gallery in Dubai, Berezina chose Komunuma, the cultural and artistic quarter in Romainville, for its similar creative atmosphere. Announcing the Paris location, she said: “I am delighted to be opening a space in Paris, one of the most important cities in the world for art, to support our artists and programme in Europe. This new gallery brings us closer to key relationships and will create a bridge between Paris and Dubai programmes, facilitating rich exchanges and dialogues.” 

Bamieh inaugurates NIKA Project Space in Paris with a timely presentation of new and recent works from her Sour Things series. Renowned for her socially engaged work, Bamieh is the founder of the Palestine Hosting Society, a live art project and platform she established in 2018 to preserve Palestinian recipes on the verge of disappearing.  

In the upcoming exhibition, titled Sour Things, Bamieh explores the politics of disappearance and memory through recent works, including The Pantry (2024), a co-commission between NIKA Project Space and the Het Noordbrabants Museum in the Netherlands. In the installation, Bamieh uses fermentation to reflect on displacement, uprooting, and the loss of space. She creates a liminal space where preservation is possible but fermentation is not, symbolising both internal and physical dislocation. 

New works in the exhibition will include Sour Things: The Wall, a sculpture of citrus ceramic pieces that explores the stages of grieving and preservation, connecting personal grief with universal experiences and reflecting on the ongoing Palestinian experience of war and displacement 

Sour Things: The Staircase is composed of oversized ceramic sculptures of okra, garlic, chili, and clove spice, which are glazed in childlike drawings expressing trauma and pain. The sharp ingredients are imbued with symbolism and hung like threads, reminiscent of traditional dehydration methods used to preserve vegetables.  

“These works deal with grief, pain, and processing the uncontrollable,” says Bamieh. “They invite reflection and create empathetic spaces. The Sour Things series has always been about processing big topics without providing answers, offering internal, psychic spaces of empathy.”

NIKA Project Space Founder, Veronika Berezina, emphasises the gallery’s ongoing commitment to highlighting the work and concepts of artists and curators from the Global South. The gallery will continue to champion female practitioners and facilitate research from across the region, extending these efforts across both of its locations. Artists include Adrian Pepe, Nika Neelova, Alexander Ugay, Polina Kanis, and Katya Muromtseva.