Curated by: Cima Azzam (Maraya Art Centre) and Noor Suhail (1971 – Design Space) in collaboration with Rula Alami, Founder of Sila exhibitions.

Tatreez, the traditional art of Palestinian embroidery, is a centuries-old practice that has been passed down through generations of women. More than decorative stitching, tatreez is a living archive, a visual language of belonging, identity, and resistance. Its motifs reflect village life, memory, and history, with each pattern rooted in regional heritage and personal expression.

Today, this embroidery remains a vital practice in the hands of refugee Palestinian women. For many, it offers not only income and purpose, but a way to assert cultural continuity in the face of displacement. In times of adversity, especially amid the ongoing devastation in Gaza, tatreez becomes an act of survival and defiance, stitched thread by thread against the threat of erasure.

SILA is jointly curated by Maraya Art Centre curator Cima Azzam and 1971 – Design Space curator Noor Suhail, marking the first time a curatorial collaboration has taken place between the two institutions. The exhibition brings the tradition of tatreez into the present, inviting contemporary artists and designers to engage with its language through painting, sculpture, textiles, and multimedia works. Rather than replicating, these works translate and transform, merging historical motifs with contemporary practices to create new forms of storytelling and solidarity. Several of the featured works are the result of direct collaboration with master embroiderers from the Inaash Association, ensuring the preservation of the authenticity and the evolving spirit of tatreez.