The context and practice of Palestinian art itself has changed significantly in recent history. However, within a landscape of obvious dispossession and diaspora, artists and the way in which they are represented, both inside the occupied territories and around the globe, have been conditioned by the need to defend themselves and protect their national identity. Initiatives such as the emergence of ngos for cultural promotion or the interest of international curators in the art of the Middle East and Palestine, have achieved a nuancing of these developments throughout recent history, albeit with certain subtleties. Both inside and outside, Palestinian artists seem called upon to act as «cultural ambassadors» for Palestine on the world stage, going beyond the particulars of their artistic practice itself.
Palestine, Occupied Palestinian Territories, diaspora and dispossession.