Book Launch—Narrative Threads

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oin us for the launch of Narrative Threads, a new publication exploring Palestinian embroidery and its presence in contemporary art today.

The evening features a special panel discussion with artists Hazem Harb, Nermeen Abu Dail of Naqsh Collective, and Samar Hejazi, whose practices weave this tradition into their work. Together, they will discuss the role embroidery plays in their art, how and why they use it, and how it shapes the concepts and narratives they convey.

The conversation will be moderated by Joanna Barakat, author and editor of Narrative Threads, who will share the vision behind the book and her selection of artists for its chapters.

Joanna Barakat is a visual artist known for her mixed-media artwork combining painting and Palestinian embroidery. She also works across other mediums, such as textile, animation and digital art, to communicate transcendental ideas, challenge collective perceptions and advocate for Palestine through her self-reflective work. She currently has work in The Lost Paintings: A Prelude to the Return exhibition at MAI in Montreal, Canada, and in SILA – All That Is Left To You at the Maraya Art Centre in Sharjah, UAE.Barakat is the author of Narrative Threads: Palestinian Embroidery in Contemporary Art (Saqi, 2025).

Samar Hejazi is a Palestinian-Canadian visual artist based in Dubai, represented by Aisha Alabbar Gallery. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Ryerson University in Toronto. Her multidisciplinary practice spans textiles, sculpture, installation, and printmaking, with a strong focus on traditional craft practices such as tatreez (Palestinian embroidery). Through these methods, she explores the shifting nature of perception, transformation, and meaning-making.

Naqsh Collective is a multidisciplinary art and design studio established by sisters Nisreen and Nermeen Abudail. Based in Amman, Jordan, the collective explores a rich tapestry of Arab cultural heritage through a contemporary lens. The name Nagsh, meaning “engrave” in Arabic, reflects the collective’s core philosophy- engraving memory, identity, and tradition into lasting forms of art. Their works have been exhibited in prominent national and international institutions, including the Victoria and Albert Museum (London), Jameel Arts Centre (Dubai), Dar El-Nimer for Arts and Culture (Beirut), Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization, and in cultural centers across Jerusalem, Ramallah, and Amman. Their studio was shortlisted as a finalist for the prestigious Jameel Prize 5 by the Victoria and Albert Museum, recognizing their contributions to contemporary Islamic art and design.

Hazem Harb is a visual artist with a practice over several decades that maintains an ongoing dialogue with his symbolically charged homeland. Born in Gaza, later studying in Rome, and now based in the UAE, Harb inhabits a liminal space, acutely aware that his place of origin is more than just land but a constantly re-drawn and contested terrain. His work rejects nostalgia or the fetishisation of displacement; instead, it is driven by research, criticality, and a desire to excavate history visually. Drawing from academia, architecture, and European art traditions, Harb negotiates complex relations between people, places, built and natural environments, longing, and belonging

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