Maraya Art Centre has announced the opening of SILA: All That Is Left to You, an exhibition showcasing the works of 25 artists. The show pays tribute to the ancient art of tatreez—a cornerstone of Palestinian intangible heritage—reimagined through contemporary artistic practice.
Curated by Cima Azzam (Maraya Art Centre) and Noor Suhail (1971 – Design Space), in collaboration with Rula Alami, Founder of Sila Project, the exhibition features works by 25 artists who have taken the centuries-old practice and reimagined it through a contemporary lens.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. 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.
The public opening is at 11am on Sunday September 21 when the curators will give a guided tour of the exhibition led by the curators and afterwards a panel discussion (1.30pm). Please see invite attached.Participating Artists:Amer Shomali – Abdel Rahman Katanani – Areen Hassan – Aya Haidar – Bokja – Cristiana de Marchi – Dahouk Chamsi-Pasha – Farah Behbehani – Hazem Harb – Katya Traboulsi – Joanna Barakat – Leila Jabre Jureidini – Liane Al Ghusain – Maysaloun Faraj – Nada Debs – Naima Almajdobah – naqsh collective – Nour Hage – Omarvis – Sama Alshaibi – Samar Hejazi – Samia Halaby – Tala Hammoud Atrouni – Steve Sabella – Zaid Farouki
PROGRAMME:SILA: All that is Left to You runs from September 21, 2025 – January 5, 2025.Public Opening: 11am, September 21Panel Discussion: Tatreez: from Stitch to Symbol – an insightful discussion moderated by Wafa Ghnaim, Founder of the Tatreez Institute, dress historian and fashion researcherSpeakers are: Rula Alami, Founder of Sila Project, Arab art consultant, co-curator of Palestinian art exhibitions, previous member at Tate Modern Middle East and North Africa Acquisition Committee (MENAAC)Joanna Barakat, artist, founder of The Tatreez Circle and author of Narrative Threads: Palestinian Embroidery in Contemporary ArtFarah Behbehani Multidisciplinary Artist & Arabic Calligraphy Designer
