The Shawl by naqsh collective shortlisted for Jameel Prize 5
The Jordanian naqsh collective has been shortlisted for the fifth edition of Jameel Prize, acknowledging the beautiful work of design related to the historical Palestinian heritage.
I met Nisreen and Nermeen Abudail back in 2014 when they first exhibited in Dubai. They are two highly motivated and talented sisters who are proud of their Palestinian heritage. I witnessed them growing and maturing their skills of bringing a new dimension to traditional embroidery.
In fact, there are not two but three sisters. Sheerin is the third element of the group who prefers staying backstage and supports Nisreen and Nermeen. But to be fair, there are even more people supporting the leading designers, their parents are simply amazing of vitality and kindness and I saw them everywhere helping them (building up the booth in Dubai, coming to Milan…).
So does it make a family business? Yes with their sense of community spirit and supportive attitude but the true sense of Naqsh Collective started back in 2009 when Nisreen returned from the USA and started to investigate a way to translate traditional Palestinian patterns into a 3 dimensional element. Her sister, Nermeen, helped her with her graphic design skills and Naqsh Collective kicked off.
It was one of the very first design studio in Amman, Jordan.
Today, at the Victoria & Albert Museum, the finalists of the Jameel Prize 5 have been releaved and I feel proud to count Naqsh Collective as part of the 9 other artists and designers.
They are presenting 'The Shawl', a modern minimal artwork with strong Palestinian heritage
“I always dreamed of showcasing our Palestinian culture through modern minimal art,” says Nisreen Abudail. “Through embroidery and mixing solid media to draw stories, ‘The Shawl’ reminds us of how beautiful this art is”.
"It was an enjoyable challenge finding and recreating this graphical treasure. It appeared to be like a duty to bring back the delights of our culture and mold them in a modern context. We aim to showcase it to the world" added Nermeen Abudail, designer and cofounder.
‘The Shawl’ will take visitors on a journey delivering the two artists message on walnut wood mural (W 375cm x H 180cm) with decisive elegance found in every stitch.
The winner of Jameel Prize 5 will be announced on 27 June 2018 and the exhibition of all the shortlisted works will be on display from 28 June until 25 November 2018 at the V&A, London.
