In a compelling cultural moment, the exhibition “Gaza: The Future Has an Ancient Heart” at Fondazione Merz brings together ancient Palestinian artefacts and contemporary artistic voices to tell a story that is both historical and deeply current.

Hosted in Turin, the exhibition features more than 80 archaeological objects originating from Gaza, dating from the Bronze Age to the Ottoman period. These artefacts, preserved by the Museum of Art and History and the Museo Egizio, reveal Gaza’s role as a historic crossroads of civilizations, trade, and belief systems.

But this exhibition goes beyond archaeology.

Through works by artists such as Samaa Emad, Dima Srouji, and Akram Zaatari, the past is brought into dialogue with the present. Their creations explore themes of displacement, memory, survival, and identity.

One of the most striking projects is Genocide Kitchen by Emad, a series documenting how people in Gaza adapted recipes during extreme conditions—transforming scarcity into creativity. Meanwhile, Srouji’s sculptural works reflect spiritual and bodily fragmentation, and Zaatari’s films and photographs examine the preservation of memory through images in times of conflict.

By placing ancient objects alongside contemporary art, the exhibition delivers a powerful message: Palestinian heritage is not only something preserved in museums—it is alive in stories, food, images, and everyday resilience.

Running until September 27, 2026, this exhibition stands as both a cultural archive and a living testimony to the endurance of Palestinian identity.