Jordan Nassar's hand embroidered textile pieces address an intersecting field of language, ethnicity and the embedded notions of heritage and homeland. Treating craft within its capacity as communicative form, the artist examines conflicting issues of identity and cultural participation using geometric patterning adapted from Islamic symbols present in traditional Palestinian hand embroidery. Nassar generates these symbols via computer and then meticulously hand stitches them onto carefully mapped-out patterns. In the enmeshing and encoding of these symbols within his work, Nassar roots his practice in a linguistic and geopolitical field of play characterized by both conflict and unspoken harmony.

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Jordan Nassar
Written by Sara Harrison for Aspen Art Museum Summer Issue 2022 

Identity, diaspora and cultural absorption lie at the core of Jordan Nassar's practice. In a 2020 interview with Will Fenstermaker for BOMB, Nassar sets out the intricacies of his own heritage: "I'm part of the Jewish diaspora and the Palestinian diaspora. I speak Hebrew, and I speak Arabic. My husband's Israeli, and I live in a Jewish household, and I was raised among Arabs, taught to identify as Palestinian." 

The cornerstone of Nassar's practice is tatreez, a traditional Palestinian form of cross-stitch embroidery. After initially copying patterns from books, he began collaborating with weavers on the West Bank. Nassar sets out the pattern, which the weavers sew in colors of their choice, and then embeds within the geometric composition his imagined landscapes. For the most part, the palette is subdued with the odd bolt of bold color. The intricate patterns and serene, stitched mountains combine to form works of an orderly and quiet beauty. In recent years, Nassar has expanded his practice, working with glass beads set in frames, which continue the same iconography, as well as another traditional craft form: wood inlaid with brass and mother of pearl. 

He cites the work of the late Lebanese American poet and visual artist Etel Adnan as a strong influence, particularly her minimal landscapes and use of color. Part of the Palestinian diaspora, Nassar speaks to Fenstermaker of his "yearning for the homeland" and the inherently political nature of his work. He describes his approach as "so activism" "It's not an accident that my art feels like a welcoming, beautiful thing. It's a good way to ease into more intense conversations." 

Born in New York in 1985, Nassar continues to live and work in the city. He has exhibited extensively world-wide and his work is held in prominent public collections. His solo show at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, will be on view from August 11 to January 29, 2023.