“Palestinian embroidery is the focal point of inspiration in our work, not only the beauty and geometry, but we also found that there were a lot of untold stories that we would like to tell”, - Nisreen Abu Dail, architect and co-founder of Naqsh Collective.
This exhibition proved to be a real surprise. I had been under the apprehension that this was an exhibition of textiles and had gone expecting as much. I was under a misapprehension however, as there were no fabrics here, only traditional Palestinian textile designs transposed onto stone sculptures and inlaid with metal. These beautiful sculptures are the work of the Naqsh Collective - Nisreen and Nermeen Abu Dail, two sisters and artists whose work explores the sense of identity and borders. The word “Naqsh”, in Arabic, means to engrave, and “Naqsh” was the very
first form of human engraving on stone to communicate and leave a mark
or tell a story. With this concept as a starting point the two sisters aim to create a universal code with their works with which each viewer can personally
relate. “Palestinian embroidery is the focal point of inspiration in our work,
not only the beauty and geometry, but we also found that there were a
lot of untold stories that we would like to tell” they state. Texture and pattern seem to be the strongest elements present in the sisters' art. The works here range in scale from the relatively small, to the monumental Wa Mashat above, in which a Gazan lady is depicted travelling from Gaza/Palestine to Amman/Jordan wearing a
“Palestinian Thobe” dress. She walks through wheat fields in which golden
spikes of wheat cling to her dress. Wheat embroidery motifs from
Gaza are engraved on Gold Calacatta Granite stone, and hand inlaid with
brass to finish the artwork. The combinations of hard, durable, stones and metals such as brass, form a contradictory contrast with the delicate, traditional Palestinian embroidery motifs and techniques with which these stones are intricately incised and inlaid. The work of the Naqsh Collective could be said to be a modern continuation of the ancient Middle Eastern traditions of stone carving which harks back to the Assyrians, Babylonians, and other similar cultures that developed within this region. These sculptures of the sisters of the Naqsh Collective have proved to be a great discovery, and I look forward to exploring and experiencing more of their work.
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