The amazing art of cross stitching to create table cloths, wall hangings or portraits has a rich heritage of its own. The century-old unique Palestinian embroidery also holds a rich traditional heritage and for the first time an outstanding exhibition of handmade embroidery designs combining the wealthy Palestinian heritage and art was held in Doha recently.
‘Heritage, Art and Embroidery’, the three-day exhibition at the Maysaloun Hall, Gate Mall, under the auspices of Salam International Investment Limited (SIIL), a leading Doha based conglomerate with a reach across the GCC, Oman, Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine, featured the dazzling works by the Inaash Association from Lebanon.
Founded in 1969, Inaash Association provides employment for Palestinian refugee women through the preservation and promotion of Palestinian embroidery. With almost 50 years of experience, Inaash has developed a reputation for exquisite products and fine craftsmanship and is considered to be a leader in its field.
Itself the inheritor of a rich, over 65-year old heritage across five key lines of business – construction, oil and gas, technology, real estate, retail and hospitality – SIIL is hosting the exhibition to reflect the art and artistry of Palestinian embroidery over more than a century. It represented a unique visual ‘language’ through which colour, symbol and motif conveyed geography, status, tribe or class. With a mere glance one woman could differentiate herself from another by the patterns on her dress. This non-verbal form of communication spoke volumes to an entire nation and came to represent the living heritage of that nation in exile.
Drawing on its significant archive of samples dating back over a century, Inaash’s in-house designers work alongside local and international artists and designers to adapt these traditional motifs and patterns to the 21st century aesthetic, and to capture the imagination of the discerning contemporary buyer across continents.
The show included silk coats and jackets, signature shawls embroidered on hand woven najaf wool fabric or silk, najafabayas and jackets, contemporary clutch bags, tableware and a large range of cushions all based on traditional Palestinian patterns, colours and motifs.
It also included collaborations with Lebanese designers Nada Zeineh and Nafissa.
A special feature of the Doha exhibition was large sized panels, two based on a series of intricate chest panels and others from Inaash’s vintage collection.
Inaash previously exhibited in international museums. In cooperation with the world famous installation artist Mona Hatoum, the Inaash project The Twelve Windows has been exhibited in Hatoum’s retrospective at Pompidou Centre and Tate Modern, and in the Museum of Contemporary Art in Houston, The Kunstmuseum, St Galen, Switzerland, and Alexander and Bonin Gallery New York. Other exhibitions include Al Sadu House Museum Kuwait, and inWashington, New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Bahrain, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
In addition, the Palestinian artist Salim Asi performed a live graffiti painting during the opening of the exhibition. He presented through this painting a technical message that expresses the concerns and suffering of the Palestinians and remains the cornerstone of the Palestinian cause.
Moreover, the Palestinian storyteller and specialist in the literature of the child, Dennis Asaad, was a wonderful guest for the opening and she narrated a Palestinian folk tale in its own way that touched the hearts of the masses and brought it back to the memories of the past and the beautiful homeland.
By sponsoring this exhibition in Qatar, SIIL raised awareness of the importance of Palestinian embroidery as the living visual heritage of a nation, and in so doing, it reflects its own entrepreneurial drive and its philosophy of best practice underpinned by exceptional regional expertise, enhanced by local knowledge.
