Manar Idriss is a cultural and arts manager from Jerusalem with extensive experience in curating and managing exhibitions. Her Journey with the British Council Palestine started through her contribution to the Jerusalem Creative Spaces residency programme, as she was invited to lead different sessions and workshops with emerging artists.
Early Collaboration Through Eitar Collective
In 2024, residents Eitar Collective, invited Manar to lead a session on developing artistic portfolios. This initial involvement developed into a continued collaboration, where she mentored emerging artists and remained actively engaged in their activities.
The following year, Eitar’s project evolved into a series of exhibitions for emerging artists transforming the Jerusalem back office every three weeks. Manar joined the artists’ selection committee and curated both a solo and a group exhibition. Manar also participated in the residency of The Palestinian Art Court – Al Hoash at the JCS organising a series of meetings to bring together art students of different disciplines, creating a space for exchange, discussion and sharing of their creative ideas and evolving projects contributing to a vibrant and supportive artistic community involved in the making of Undying Cities exhibition.
A Community‑Rooted Curatorial Approach
Working closely with artists from diverse backgrounds further expanded Manar’s curatorial experience and reinforced her existing approach which has always been rooted in community engagement and collaborative work. These experiences strengthened her professional relationships with artists and institutions opening new opportunities for collaboration.
From Momentum Delegation to a Bespoke UK Visit
Manar was selected to join the Momentum Visual Arts Delegation taking place in Edinburgh in August 2025. Unfortunately, her visa didn’t arrive on time and Manar couldn’t join the delegation but the British Council team in Scotland and Creative Scotland made it up for her organising a bespoke visit in December 2025 across Edinburgh, Dundee, and London, full of Scottish warmth to beat the cold weather. This experience marked a significant shift in her curatorial methodology, transforming her theoretical framework into a practical, institutionally grounded collaboration.
In Manar’s own words:
‘A key component of this development was the workshop I delivered at Custom Lane. The session created a space for critical dialogue and exchange, generating productive discussions around Palestinian art, memory, and representation. These interactions were particularly impactful, offering new insights and alternative perspectives on how Palestinian artworks are read and contextualized across different cultural settings. This exchange not only enriched the research process but also directly informed my curatorial approach, reinforcing dialogue as a core methodological tool.’
Engaging Scotland’s Cultural Institutions
The trip also enabled intensive engagement with key Scottish partners, including DCA, where she visited Lauren Gault’s exhibition and discussed access to the Print Studio. Additional meetings with Creative Scotland, Edinburgh Art Festival, and Talbot Rice Gallery expanded the project’s institutional framework. Visiting Thread Memory at V&A Dundee provided critical insight into how Palestinian narratives are curated within Scottish institutions. Engagement with the Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop further broadened her understanding of material-based practices and artist-led production contexts within Scotland.
Learning from Artist‑Led Spaces
Equally important were visits to independent studio spaces such as Sett Studios and Generator Projects. These artist-led environments highlighted the vitality and experimental nature of Scotland’s emerging art scene, demonstrating how independent infrastructures foster creative freedom, collaboration, and new modes of production outside institutional frameworks. These encounters offered valuable perspectives on how grassroots artistic communities operate and sustain themselves.
Building Toward Future Research and Residencies
Several new opportunities materialised during the trip. Discussions with DCA’s Print Studio team opened the possibility of a Spring 2027 research residency, advancing the project toward implementation and further positioning printmaking as an analytical tool for investigating cultural genocide. Engagements with institutions such as Cooper Gallery, Fruit market, and Talbot Rice Gallery also deepened her understanding of the Scottish contemporary art ecosystem and opened pathways for research collaborations, including with Edinburgh University Press.
Advancing Archival and Print‑Based Practice
Connections with The Mosaic Rooms, P21 Gallery, and the Palestine Museum in London offered potential venue partners for presenting the 2027 exhibition. For Manar’s artistic practice, the trip significantly deepened both the conceptual and technical dimensions of her archival work. She developed a methodology using print processes—etching, relief, and screenprint—to simulate lost works and reconstruct archival traces, forming part of her ongoing collaboration with DCA. Observing how Scottish institutions approach politically engaged exhibitions—particularly in relation to memory, material translation, and contested histories—directly informed this methodology.
Small‑Scale Exchange, Lasting Impact
Ultimately, the visit demonstrated that small-scale, and dialogue-driven exchange can foster meaningful and reciprocal collaboration. It has equipped her with a refined conceptual framework and strong institutional partnerships to realize the 2027 exhibition and its accompanying public programme.