Rachel Dedman

Rachel Dedman is a curator, writer and art historian specialised in modern and contemporary art and design from the Middle East. Since 2019 she has been the Jameel Curator of Contemporary Art from the Middle East at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London. Recent projects for the V&A include Beirut Mapped, a writing commissioning platform for Lebanese artists; the foundation of a research residency programme; and Jameel Prize: Poetry to Politics, an exhibition featuring the work of eight contemporary artists and designers from the Global South. Rachel is currently curating Material Power: Palestinian Embroidery for Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge, and The Whitworth, Manchester, UK, in 2023-24. This exhibition evolved from her work on the cultural and political histories of Palestinian textiles and dress as Curator for the Palestinian Museum, West Bank, 2014-2018.

She has curated several exhibitions and is the author of two books on this subject—At the Seams, 2016, and Labour of Love, 2018. From 2013-2019, Rachel was an independent curator based in Beirut, Lebanon. Selected exhibitions, commissions and programming include projects for Ashkal Alwan, Sursock Museum, and Beirut Art Center (all Beirut), apexart (New York), Serpentine Galleries (London), and Transart Triennial (Berlin). Rachel is a graduate of Oxford and Harvard Universities, and has published extensively in contemporary art contexts. She is a trustee of Metroland Cultures, delivering the Brent Biennial in London.