Bendiciones desde abajo. Dima Srouji

The space La Casa Encendida presents the exhibition Bendiciones desde abajo. Dima Srouji from 5 November to 10 January 2027, an artistic intervention that forms the third and final activation of the Fundación cycle. The Palestinian artist develops this project from a series of glass pieces made by the Palestinian glass industry, inspired by an ancient vessel with a fish-shaped silhouette from the 4th century held at the Jordan Archaeological Museum.

The title of the project refers to a historical dialogue documented in the early twentieth century between the glassblower Abd-el-Nerughni, from Hebron, and the architect and designer Charles Robert Ashbee, then adviser in Jerusalem. Faced with the decline of the craft, the glassblower replied “Mafish baraka” (there is no blessing). Dima Srouji takes as her starting point the tension between that loss and the determination to keep producing art in unfavourable circumstances, using the figure of the fish as a symbol of resurrection and a sign of blessing.

Dima Srouji, an artist based in London and a researcher at the Royal College of Art, combines sculpture, archival research and audiovisual media. Through sustained work with craftspeople and archaeologists, her projects revive these traditional techniques to deepen the understanding of the material and cultural history of Palestine and the Mediterranean region.

A perfect opportunity to discover an artist who champions the survival of traditional crafts and reflects on the need to keep creating in the face of adversity.