Samar Hussaini

 The craft of the Thob, a Palestinian traditional dress, is notable for its cross-stitched embroidered designs, regional identity, and the practice associated with Palestinian cultural expression. Samar Hussaini’s representation reimagines the Thob as a mixed media design on canvas, preserving the practice passed down through generations and reinterpreting past traditions. Hussaini seeks to visualize the layered challenges enriching her distinction as a Palestinian-American artist, at the same time striving to create thought-provoking ideas of dialogue and hope. 

Hussaini’s works incorporate several symbols and cultural designs connected to her Palestinian heritage, writings of her father, Dr. Hatem Hussaini, political representative, activist, and scholar; the Palestinian Keffiyeh, a traditional Arab head covering which is a symbol of freedom, hope, and a people’s fight against oppression, along with traditional Palestinian design motifs. All intertwine with multimedia layers of charcoal, graphite, metal leaf, stitching, and acrylic paint on canvas that both anchor her personal narrative and reveal cultural and socio-political awareness of the Palestinian people.

Samar Hussaini received her BA in studio art and art history from the University of Maryland and a Master’s in communication design from Pratt Institute. Hussaini worked in advertising receiving awards for her designs. Her fine artwork has been exhibited in numerous group shows, along with solo exhibits including Gallery Al-Quds in Washington, DC. She has received several awards notably the Innovative Fine Art Award from the Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club in NY. Samar Hussaini lives and works outside of New York in West Orange, New Jersey.