SAMAR HUSSAINI

Samar Hussaini is an award winning internationally accomplished Palestinian American fine artist whose work is deeply rooted in her heritage and culture. Through abstract layers and imagery in her body of work, including painting and sculpture, her multidisciplinary approach speaks to the resilience of identity and the power of cultural heritage.

The Palette of Tradition

From thread to monument, silence grew loud,
A tapestry rising, unbowed and proud.
Each stitch remembers what time won’t erase—
We are here, held in color, form, and grace.

During her residency and solo exhibit titled The Palette of Tradition at Project 14C, artist Samar Hussaini found the space—both physical and creative—to think bigger. What began as intimate studies layered with paint and embroidery evolved into large-scale canvases and sculptural dresses. The shift in scale wasn’t just formal—it was a declaration of presence.

“Starting small gave me a way to listen to the work,” Hussaini says. “But once I had the room, I wanted it to speak louder—to take up space with everything it carries: memory, resilience, beauty, resistance.”

Using a deeply symbolic colour palette, each painted series becomes a dialogue between past and present, between canvas and thread. Rooted in specific tatreez motifs—The Moon and Stars, the Cypress Tree, and Pasha’s Tent—these studies carry the weight of regional identity, resilience, and lived history, reimagined through layered paint and embroidery.

Woven throughout are traditional tatreez motifs, reimagined in thread and image transfers. Hussaini’s work becomes a layered conversation between past and present—a testament to endurance, identity, and the quiet strength of memory passed down, stitch by stitch.

Past Work

The use of abstraction references a layered history and vibrant culture that aims to tell a positive Palestinian narrative while exploring Arab feminine identity in society. The conflicting tension through overlapping layers of acrylic paint, charcoal, ink, collage, gold leaf, traditional elements, and language creates visual harmony drawing the viewer closer.

Abstract Echoes

Torn and stitched, identities reclaimed,
Resilience sewn in each vibrant frame.
Through women’s self-expression, culture unfolds,
The power of heritage, a work that consoles.

Hussaini reinterprets Palestinian identity through contemporary Tatreez, a traditional cross-stitch embroidery, and the keffiyeh, which is a traditional headscarf. Her freehand stitched designs, created with a sewing machine on water-soluble fabric, blend with multimedia layers on canvas or paper. This intertwining reflects women’s self-expression and the diasporic identity. The torn and stitched layers symbolize the resilience of identity, demonstrating the complex interplay of cultural heritage and socio-political awareness in the face of diaspora.

At The Heart of It – The enduring strength of a people

In each piece lies a heartbeat profound,
of home remembered, love unbound.
Here strength and hope rise from the ground,
where memory and beauty are forever found.

Delve into the core of Palestinian identity, with artworks that capture the enduring spirit and love for Palestinian land. At the Heart of It emphasizes the emotional and cultural ties binding Palestinian people to their heritage and homeland. Palestinians share a profound historical bond with their land, cultivating traditions for centuries. The land is not just a means of survival but a cornerstone of Palestinian identity, heritage, and community. Forced displacement aims to disrupt lives, traditions, and the essence of identity, but these deep-rooted connections endure, remaining unbroken. Through a diverse array of paintings, the series highlights the themes of resilience, strength, and hope that resonate deeply.

Each piece reflects the heartbeat of a people, sharing their journey and showcasing the beauty that arises from stories, traditions, and collective memory.

Sculptural Dresses

Each sculpted dress represents an identity and the story of scattered refugees whose culture and way of life have been fragmented; a diaspora, and a collective future standing resilient. It embodies families experiencing the tragedy of losing their homes, land, and way of life passed down from generation to generation. Conviction and strength reveal a drive that no amount of injustice can stop, the drive for self-determination, and the pursuit of hope for a better future despite hardship, adversity, and discrimination. My work is meant to inspire cultural and socio-political awareness and create a dialogue about living under occupation and those who are living in exile. To encourage the viewer to look beyond the media to learn more about the many challenges that are faced by a nation of scattered people who remain united by their culture, traditions, and love of their homeland.

Samar Hussaini’s website is here: https://www.samardesigns.com/