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Palestine Hosting Society is a live art project that explores traditional food culture in Palestine especially those that are on the verge of disappearing. The project brings these dishes back to life over dinner tables, talks, walks, and various interventions. 

Palestine Hosting Society was founded in 2017, by artist and chef Mirna Bamieh, as an extension of her art practice that often looks at the politics of disappearance, and memory production. Mirna creates artworks that unpack social concerns and limitations in contemporary political dilemmas, and reflect on the conditions that characterize Palestinian communities. 

To date, Palestine Hosting Society has created several projects, including "The tongue tracing the hand tracing the earth", "Menu of Dis/appearance", "Trails of Taste-Telling", "Fermentation Station", “The Edible Wild Plants of Palestine Table”, “The Wheat Feast”, "A Wondering in Flavors: The Old City of Jerusalem, a table, a tour and a map”, "Our Jerusalem Table", "Our Nabulsi Table", "Food Walks: The Tahini Trail", "Family Dinners". After an intensive research period for each project, the collective creates a menu that is shared over one long table for 40-60+ guests, with dishes carefully selected to create spaces of reflection upon socio-political realities, attitudes, and historical practices, and even the suppressed elements of history. Palestine Hosting Society Tables took life in Palestine and in different parts of the world including Palestine, Vienna, Saudi, Amman, Warsaw, Brussels, New York. 


www.mirnabamieh.cargo.site


استضافات فلسطين هي مجموعة اسستها الفنانة ميرنا بامية
تسعى هذه المجموعة لخلق حيز للتفكير بعلاقتنا مع الطعام، وإعادة تشكيلها مع المكان والتاريخ والمجتمع والسياسة وثقافة. تنخرط هذه المجموعة في بحث يقوم بشكل أساسي على تحضير الطعام والقراءات والمحادثات والتفكير، في نشاطات متصلة بفن الطهي، والتي تميط اللثام عن الأعراف والقيود الاجتماعية الأعمّ، مقابل المعضلات السياسية المعاصرة التي تشكّل مجتمعاتنا الفلسطينية في زمننا الراهن

حتى الان، عملت مجموعة استضافات فلسطين على عدة مشاريع، مثل 'على طاولة العائلة' و'مائدتنا النابلسية' و'مائدتنا المقدسية' وجولات الطعام. بعد فترة بحث مكثفة لكل مشروع، تخلق المجموعة قائمة طعام يتم تقديمها على مائدة طويلة تستضيف 40 -50 ضيفا، تسعى إعداد هذه الموائد لخلق فضاء للتأمل في الوقائع الاجتماعية والسياسية والمواقف والأشكال الثقافية السائدة في الوقت الراهن، وحتى عناصر التاريخ التي جرى طمسها.

لطالما عبّر الطعام، باختلاف مكوناته وطرق اعداده وتقديمه، عن تمثيل لطبقات مجتمعية وحقبا تاريخية، وأشكال سلطوية سياسية أو دينية. فهو يخلق حول المائدة بيئة تجمع تناقضات واختلافات بين الناس. وينطوي التشارُك بإعداد وتناول أصناف الطعام على المائدة، على جوانب من الضيافة والتوزيع والتبادل والألفة والسعادة. وقد يتحول إعداد وجبة مشتركة إلى فضاء للتأمل في الوقائع الاجتماعية والسياسية والمواقف والأشكال الثقافية السائدة في الوقت الراهن، وحتى عناصر التاريخ التي جرى طمسها

مجموعة استضافات فلسطين هي احد مشاريع الفنانة ميرنا بامية
www.mirnabamieh.cargo.site





Current Projects &Events
Jun-Aug 2023 Art residency at Chretzeturm, Jakob and Emma Windler Foundation, Stein am Rhein, Switzerland.

Upcoming Projects &Events

23-24 Aug The tongue tracing the hand tracing the earth, dinner performance, Kunsthaus, Zurich.
1 Sep- 1 Oct The Invisible Dog, Elizabeth Krief and Jacques Manardo Artist Residency Program, New York
Oct 2023- Jan 2024 Parfums d’Orient, Institut Du Monde Arabe, Paris
15 Nov- 15 Dec Art Residency, HANGAR Artistic Research Center, Lisbon.

Past Projects & Events
July 22 Potato Talks. The Biennale Gherdëina theme announcement symposium. The Biennale Gherdëina theme announcement event.
23-26 May 2023 Collaborative World Building: Socially engaged art and art education symposium. Die Angewandte, Teachers collage, Columbia University, Montclair State University, Vienna.
Feb 2023 Sharjah Biennial 15: Thinking Historically in the Present
Sept-Oct 2022 Nafas exhibition, The Invisible Dog, New York
Sep- Dec 2022 Art residency, Dr. Georg and Josi Guggenheim-foundation, Zurich, Switzerland.
14-15 Oct 2022 The tongue tracing the hand tracing the earth, dinner performance, Staple, Tashweesh festival, Tanzquartier Wien, Vienna.
7-8 Dec 2021 The tongue tracing the hand tracing the earth, dinner performance, Staple, What's on your plate?, Hayy Jameel, Jeddah.
9-10 Nov 2021 The tongue tracing the hand tracing the earth, dinner performance, Mina's Restaurant, MoMA PS1, New York.
5-6 Nov 2021 The tongue tracing the hand tracing the earth, dinner performance, The Invisible Dog, Brooklyn, New York.
4 Oct- 20 Nov 2021 art residency the invisible dog, CEC Artslink fellowship
Ju 23l- Nov 21 2021 Every Days of Resistance Exhibition, Ujazdowski Castle for Contemporary art.
Sept 9 2021 On Herbal Elixirs: The acid, the sweet and the time that binds, Namlieh Studios, Amman, Jordan.
Aug 26- Sep 5 2021 Art, Ecology and the Commons, TAP, Beirut.
Aug 2021 Art residency with Namliyeh, Amman.
Sept 2020 Art residency and commissioned project in collaboration with Samah Hijjawi, Vooruit, Belgium.
Sept 2020 Performance dinner by Palestine Hosting Society, Aesthetics of the Politics conference, BOZAR, Brussels, Belgium.
12-14 Feb 2020 Talk and Panel discussion at Collaborative Art in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia The College Art Association Conference, Chicago.
27-29 Mar 2020 Palestine Writes, Manhattan, New York.
21-23/11/2019 Menu of Dis/appearance: a dinner performance, Where no Walls Remains Live Art Festival, a commission by Fisher Center for Performing Arts, Bard Collage, New York.
14/10/2019 Trails of Taste-telling, gala dinner performance, a commission by Palestinian Museum, Four Seasons Hotel, Amman.
11/10/2019t Artist Talk: Palestine Hosting Society, a collective in the making, Amman Design Week, Jordan.
5/10/2019 Fermentation Station: The Table, an interaction food installation, part of Everyday Forms of Resistance assembly, Ujazdowsku Castle for Contemporary art, Warsaw, Poland
13/9/2019 Artist Talk: Palestine Hosting Society, a collective in the making, ifa Gallery, Berlin.
9/9/2019 Artist Talk: Palestine Hosting Society, a collective in the making, Ujazdowski Castle for Contemporary Art, Warsaw.
6/8- 29/102019 Art residency at Ujazdowsku Castle for Contemporary art, Warsaw, Poland
14/4/2018 The Edible Wild Plants Table , a commission by the Palestinian Museum
23/12/2018 The Wheat Feast with Haifa Zaitoon, a commission by the Palestinian Museum
7/12/2018 Food canapés for special occasions workshop, inspired by Palestinian embroidery, family workshop with the Palestinian Museum
31/10/2018 A Wandering in Flavours: a tour, led by Mirna Bamieh (Eng) and Suzanne Matar (Ar), Old City of Jerusalem
17/10/2018 Our Jerusalem Table, dinner performance in collaboration with Suzanne Matar, al Mamal Foundation for Contemporary Art, Old City of Jerusalem/New Gate.
10/10/2018 A Wandering in Flavours: a Tour, led by Mirna Bamieh (Eng), Old City of Jerusalem
5/10/2018 A Wandering in Flavours: a Table, dinner performance in collaboration with Suzanne Matar, Bilda Swedish Center, Old City of Jerusalem/ Jaffa Gate.
13 July Our Nabulsi Table, dinner performance in collaboration with Suzanne Matar, a residency project by On The Road, Goethe Institut and Institut Français.
28/3/2018 Food Walks #1: On the Trail of Tahini, led by Mirna Bamieh, Old City of Jerusalem.
16/2/2018 Family Dinners: From my mother's pantry, by Suzanne Matar. Haifa.
13/2/2018 Family Dinners: On the table of Abu-Heiba family, by Shayma Hamad, Abu-Shkheidem.
30/1/2018 Family Dinners: Palestine on a restaurant's table, by Momen Tayeh, Tulkarem.
20/1/2018 Family Dinners: On the table of Rummaneh Kitchen, by Fatin Farhat, Ramallah.
19/12/2017 Family Dinners: On the table of Ursula, by May Odeh, Birzeit.



**Please note, full list of articles does not shows on phone view.


The Political Potential of Fermentation, by Sophie Williamson, Art Monthly, issue 469, September 2023 issue, London.
Küche des Widerstands, by Sharon Saameli Schaffhauser AZ newspaper, 10 august 2023 Switzerland.
Podcast: Mirna Bamieh: Performing Palestinian Food, All Things Palestinian-Canadian, produced by Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME).
When Food Nourishes The Soul, Odyssey School oF Design founder Francesca Zampollo. 
How to turn the humble lentil into an extravagant luxury, by Ligaya Nishan. New York Times, New York. 
Food Politics, by Marziah Rashid, The Root of it All, issue 108, Canvas magazin.
Interview Anja Dietmann and Julia Lerch Zajączkowska, Pfeil Magazine, 15th issue: Bread, Montez Press.
Forgotten Flavors by Sarah Khan,Conde Nast Traveller, Oct/Nov issue.
ArteEast Artist Spotlight, New York.
Methods & Provisions: Meeting Mirna Bamieh This is Mold, New York.
Reclaiming Stolen Recipes and Lost Palestinian History: Founder Wisdom #045 - Mirna Bamieh, podcast
Intifada w Garnku Mkluby, Usta Magazine, 30th issue, Warsaw.
تقاوم تهديد الاحتلال بالطهو٫ يسرا الشرقاوي٫ جريدة الاهرام
Palestine Hosting Society,, Creative Scene Podcast, Lebanon.
Cooking with Artists: Mirna Bamieh, Mina Stone, Moma Ps1
The Rise of Palestinian Food, New York Times, NY.
My menus are disappearing recipes, Mirna Bamieh in conversation with Bogna Świątkowsk for U–jazdowski magazine.
Mirna Bamieh's Palestine Hosting Society Reclaims Cuisine—And Cultural Identity
Chronogram, New York.
Rooted in the Future, Graylit, NY.
Palestine Hosting Society: A Collective in the Making, Talk
Amman Design Week, Jordan.
Spotlight || Palestinian Artist And Cook Mirna Bamieh
Ciin Magazine, Amman.
Perdidos De La Cocina Palestina
El Comidista, El Pais, Spain.
Food, Glorious Food, podcast
BBC,The Cultural Frontline, UK.
Saving Palestine's Forgotten Food
AJ+ English, Washington.
Revitalising The Culture of Palestinian Food
Hyperallergic, New York.
ميرنا بامية لـ«الشرق الأوسط»: أبحث عن الأكلات التي توشك أن تسقط من الذاكرة
.الشرق الأوسط، لندن
Palestine Hosting Society : Cuisiner Pour Ne Pas Oublier
Onorient, Paris.





The tongue tracing the hand, tracing the earth
لسانٌ يتتبعُ يدً تَتتبعُ الارض

Dinner performance of food and ceramics by Mirna Bamieh

عشاء ادائي للفنانة ميرنا بامية، استضافات فلسطين

World Premier: The Invisible Dog, Mina's Restaurant/MoMA PS1, 5 performances, 2021, New York

Hayy Jamil, 202, Jeddah. Tanzquartier, 2022, Vienna.


The tongue will trace the taste of dishes that are weaved along stories of a kitchen that is dispossessed, the hands will trace the handprints on stoneware ceramic designed to host, add and interact.

This year, unlike the larger scale dinner performances Palestine Hosting Society has been producing since its establishment in 2018, and its research on disappearing recipes and food practices in Palestine, to currently developing smaller more focused dinner experiences that weave eating/interacting/sharing/storytelling and histories of dishes with pottery design.

The tongue tracing the hand tracing the earth, takes the guests in an experiential dinner setting will be sensorial on multiple levels, from auditory to textural to gastronomic.

Performance Sound composition by Joshua Baerwald and Christie Echols, University of Hartford

The tongue tracing the hand tracing the earth production was made possible thanks to the support of, CEC ArtsLink, The Invisible Dog, George Lowe pottery studio, and Shiraka research project at Zayed University.

October dinners at the Invisible Dog
Photography credits (c)Amy Pekal
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November 2021 dinners at Mina's Restaurant, MoMAPS1
Photography credits (c)Amy Pekal



December 2021 dinners at Hayy Jameel, part of the Staple: What's on your plate exhibition. Jeddah/ Saudi Arabia.
Photography credits (c)Art Jameel

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October 2022 dinners at Tanzquartier, part of Tawshweesh festival. Vienna/ Austria
Photography credits (c)Tanzquartier


Menu of Dis/appearance, brings us together in a much needed setting—around the table to break bread. Mirna Bamieh’s work narrates stories about time, history, and the parts of ourselves that slip away with lost food traditions. In her dinner-table performance she takes us on a journey through the dishes that are slowly disappearing from the Palestinian table, as access to wild foraging is restricted by colonial appropriation of both the land and the foods of the Palestinians over time. In this work, the artist takes the audience through the violence embedded in the meticulous erasure of identity of the colonised, even in their food culture.



Menu of Dis/appearance was performed at Pianofabrik/Brussles, in partnership with Chair Mahmoud Darwich, BOZAR, Pianofabriek and Beursschouwburg. Supported by VGC, SCAM, SABAM for Culture, Kunstenwerkplaats, OMAM/MSH. Design by Miriam Hempel/daretoknow.

“Aesthetics of the Political” is an on-going project by Samah Hijawi that reflects on the strategies that artists use to transform political and critical ideas into aesthetic form in their work.

*Menu of Dis/appearance worldwide premiere in New York, commissioned by the Fisher Center for Performing Arts, for the Live Arts Bard Biennial: Where No Wall Remains(2019)