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, Nassar 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.
Jordan Nassar (b.1985, New York, NY) earned his BA at Middlebury College in 2007. His work has been featured in solo and group exhibitions globally at institutions including the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY; BRIC, Brooklyn, NY; Museum of Arts and Design, New York, NY; Abrons Art Center, New York, NY; Katonah Museum of Art, Katonah, NY; Anat Ebgi, Los Angeles, CA; James Cohan Gallery, New York, NY; Evelyn Yard, London, UK, Exile Gallery in Berlin, Germany, and The Third Line, Dubai, UAE. His work is included in the current group exhibition Making Knowing: Craft in Art, 1950 – 2019 at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Nassar’s work has been acquired by museum collections including the Whitney Museum of American Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art (Los Angeles), the Rhode Island School of Design Museum, and the Israel Museum, Tel Aviv. Nassar lives and works in New York, NY.
EXHIBITIONS
We Are The Ones To Go To The Mountain, September 15 – October 27, 2020
Staycation, April 7 – May 30, 2020
Home is Not a Place, June 8 – July 13, 2019
Frieze New York: Frame, May 2 – 6 , 2018
Dunya, September 9 – October 21, 2017
Jordan Nassar
- 1985
- Born in Manhattan, NY
- Lives and works in New York City
Education
- 2007
- BA, Middlebury College, Vermont, US
Solo Exhibitions and Two Person Exhibitions
- 2021
- Seasons, Kukje Gallery, Seoul, South Korea (Forthcoming)
- 2020
- The Field is Infinite, KMAC Museum, Louisville, KY
- I Cut the Sky in Two, James Cohan, New York, NY
- We Are The Ones To Go To The Mountain, Anat Ebgi, Los Angeles, CA
- ADAA, with James Cohan, New York, NY
- 2019
- Between Sky and Earth, Bainbridge House, Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton, NJ
- The Sea Beneath Our Eyes, Center for Contemporary Art, Tel Aviv, Israel
- For Your Eyes, The Third Line, Dubai, UAE
- 2018
- Frieze New York, with Anat Ebgi, New York, NY
- 2017
- Dunya, Anat Ebgi, Los Angeles, CA
- Jaffa: New Works, Artport Tel Aviv, Israel
- 2016
- No Secret with Mika Horibuchi, LVL3 Gallery, Chicago, IL
- 2015
- And a Night, Evelyn Yard, London, UK
Group Exhibitions
- 2021
- Pt. 2: Invasive Species, Anat Ebgi, Los Angeles, CA
- 2020
- Picturing Motherhood Now: Images for a New Era, Cleveland Museum of Art, OH
- There is Fiction in Space, The Third Line, Dubai, UAE
- We Do Not Dream Alone, Asia Society Triennial, Asia Society, New York, NY
- RELATIONS: Diaspora and Painting, Phi Foundation for Contemporary Art, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
- The Armory Show, with James Cohan, New York, NY
- 2019
- Art Basel Miami, with Anat Ebgi, Miami, FL
- Making Knowing: Craft in Art 1950-2019, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY
- James Cohan: Twenty Years, James Cohan, New York, NY
- Home is Not a Place, Anat Ebgi, Los Angeles, CA
- Go Away Road, Loyal Gallery, Stockholm, Sweden
- Frieze Los Angeles, with Anat Ebgi, Los Angeles, CA
- Borders, James Cohan Gallery, New York NY
- The Conversation, Anat Ebgi at Minnesota Street Project, San Francisco, CA
- 2018
- Art Toronto, with Anat Ebgi, Toronto, Canada
- Out Of Ink, 8 Ball, NYC, NY
- A Matter Of Printing (for SMC), Supportico Lopez, Berlin, Germany
- Pray For This Gallery, NYC, NY
- Home Edition, Essex Flowers, NYC, NY
- The New Minimalists, Abrons Art Center, NYC, NY
- New Threads: Perspectives in Contemporary Fiber Art, Laband Art Gallery, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA
- Long, Winding Journeys: Contemporary Art and the Islamic Tradition, Kotonah Museum of Art, NYC, NY
- 2017
- Bootleg T-shirt Show Part III, Printed Matter Inc., NYC, NY
- Untitled Art Fair Miami, with Vigo Gallery, Miami, FL
- On Longing, Arcadia Missa, NYC, NY
- Overview, Samuel, Chicago, IL
- Art Los Angeles Contemporary with Anat Ebgi, Los Angeles, CA
- Untitled, Anat Ebgi, Los Angeles, San Francisco, CA
- 2016
- Summer Reading, Fortnight Institute, NYC, NY
- In Residence, Las Cruxes, Houston, TX
- 2015
- Bootleg T-Shirt Show Part II, Printed Matter, Inc., NYC, NY
- Ausstellung 61, Exile Gallery, Berlin, Germany
- NADA NY with Evelyn Yard, London, UK
- 2014
- June Snow, Evelyn Yard, London, UK
Group Publication Exhibitions
- 2016
- E.A.S.T. (East Austin Studio Tour), ATM Gallery, Austin, TX
- CASSANDRA, NY Art Book Fair 2016, NY
- FLEX PLEX 2K16, LA Art Book Fair 2016, CA
- 2015
- Showroom Miami, SWGR Gallery, Miami, FL
- Up in Smoke 2, NY Art Book Fair 2015, NYC, NY
Artist Residencies
- 2017
- Artport Tel Aviv, Israel
- 2016
- ACE AIR, Ace Hotel, New York, NY
Publications and Press
- 2019
- Landscape Painting Now, Distributed Art Publishers (Forthcoming April 2019)
- 2018
- "How To Sleep Faster, Issue 8" Published by Arcadia Missa, London
- 2017
- "Zine Tornado", Published by Peter Sutherland and Maia Ruth Lee
- "Violent Music", Published by Cali Thornhill Dewitt
- 2016
- The Third Rail (Summer 2016)
Selected Press
- 2020
- Alina Cohen, "5 Embroidery Tips from Leading Contemporary Artists," Artsy, May 19, 2020. (Link)
- Martha Schwendener, "The Art Show at The Armory," New York Times, February 27, 2020. (Link)
- Murtaza Vali, "Artforum Critic's Pick," December 18, 2019. (Link)
- Aaron Hicklin, "Jordan Nassar’s new apartment exhibition lives between the Israel, Palestine binary," Document Journal, November 26, 2019. (Link)
- Artsy Editors "The Artists To Know Right Now," The Artsy Vanguard, September 16, 2019. (Link)
- 2019
- Claire Wrathall, "New Threads," Christie's Magazine, June 2019. (Link)
- Harry Tafoya, "Finding Both Comfort and Challenge in the Idea of "'Home.'" Hyperallergic, July 2, 2019. (Link)
- "Reframing Inherited Nostalgia," Harper's Bazaar Arabia, April 2019. (Link)
- "Jordan Nassar's New Take on Traditional Hand Embroidery," Embroidery Magazine, January 2019
- 2018
- Rebecca Bengal, "How This Brooklyn-Based Artist is Transforming Traditional Palestinian Folk Art," Wall Street Journal, September 11, 2018. (Link)
- "Watch: The Cross-Cultural Relationship Between Married Artists Jordan Nassar and Amir Guberstein," OUT Magazine, May 18, 2018. (Link)
- Alex Bacon, "Jordan Nassar is delicately weaving a new vision into one of Palestine’s cultural legacies," Document, May 4, 2018. (Link)
- Sara Roffino, "The 8 Best Booths to See at Frieze New York," Cultured Magazine, May 4, 2018. (Link)
- Alexandra Weiss, "10 Must-See Artists at Frieze New York 2018," BlackBook, May 3, 2018. (Link)
- Nadja Sayej, "Frieze New York: How This Year's Art Fair Got Political," The Guardian, May 3, 2018. (Link)
- Hamish Bowles, "Here’s What to Go See at This Year’s Frieze Art Fair," Vogue Magazine, May 3, 2018. (Link)
- Maximilíano Durón, "Preview Frieze New York 2018," ArtNews, May 1, 2018. (Link)
- Gareth Harris, "Frieze to bring West Coast buzz to New York," The Art Newspaper, April 30, 2018. (Link)
- Frieze New York, ARTPIL, April 22, 2018. (Link)
- Aaron Hicklin, "Spinning Yarns," Out Magazine, April 2018. (Link)
- 2017
- Leah Ollman, “Jordan Nassar at Anat Ebgi: Palestinian cross stitch art as boundary breaker,” Los Angeles Times, October 21, 2017.
- 2016
- Molly Taylor, “New Establishment,” Elephant Magazine Issue 28, Autumn 2016.
- Feature on Littlestar Weekly, www.littlestarjournal.com, August 1, 2016.
- 2015
- LVL3, “Artist of the Week: Jordan Nassar,” September 15, 2015.
Selected Bibliography of Self-Published Artist's Books
- 2016
- A Whole New World
- We Were Here First
- Bellevue
- Any Other Rose
- Messenger of the Gods
- Kahlil Gibran
- 2015
- When It’s Naked
- Ma Rose Apocalypse
Collections
- Bonnier Collection, Stockholm
- Fidelity Collection, Boston, MA
- Israel Museum, Tel Aviv
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA
- Marciano Foundation, Los Angeles, CA
- Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA
- Rhode Island School of Design Museum, Providence, RI
- Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY
Hand embroidered cotton on cotton, artist frame 17 1/2 x 16 1/2 inches / 44.5 x 41.9 cm
Hand embroidered cotton on cotton, artist frame 40 x 58 inches / 101.6 x 147.3 cm
Detail
Hand embroidered cotton on cotton, artist frame 38 ¹⁄₂ x 57 inches / 97.8 x 144.8 cm
Detail
Hand-flamed glass beads, steel, wire 12 x 29 x 10 inches / 30.5 x 73.7 x 25.4 cm
Hand-flamed glass beads, steel, wire 12 x 37 x 10 inches / 30.5 x 94 x 25.4 cm
Hand embroidered cotton on cotton on canvas 49 x 30 inches / 124.5 x 76.2 cm
Hand-embroidered cotton on cotton 50.5 x 28.5 inches / 128.3 x 72.4 cm
Hand embroidered cotton on cotton 26.5 x 17.5 inches / 67.3 x 44.5 cm
Hand embroidered cotton on cotton, artist frame 35 x 36.5 inches / 88.9 x 92.7 cm
Hand embroidered cotton on cotton, artist frame 35 x 36.5 inches / 88.9 x 92.7 cm
Center for Contemporary Art Tel Aviv, Installation view
Center for Contemporary Art Tel Aviv, Installation view
Center for Contemporary Art Tel Aviv, Installation view
Center for Contemporary Art Tel Aviv, Installation view
Center for Contemporary Art Tel Aviv, Installation view
Hand embroidered cotton on cotton, artist frame 32.5 x 37.5 inches / 82.6 x 95.3 cm
Hand embroidered cotton on cotton, artist frame 38.5 x 33 inches / 97.8 x 83.8 cm
Hand embroidered cotton on cotton, artist frame 22 x 33 inches / 55.9 x 83.8 cm
The Cup That Holds Your Wine, 2018
Hand embroidered cotton on cotton
22 x 22 inches
The Green Paths Your Alleys, 2017
Hand embroidered cotton on cotton
20 x 20 inches
Scatter Them In Forest and Meadow, 2018
Hand embroidered cotton on cotton
22 x 22 inches
Would The Valleys Were Your Streets, 2017
Hand embroidered cotton on cotton
28 x 28 inches
And the sea drowning the sea, 2017
Hand embroidered cotton on aida on canvas
11 x 14 inches
The Arab Apocalypse, 2017
Hand embroidered cotton on aida on canvas
18 x 24 inches
With a sun in the belly, 2017
Hand embroidered cotton on aida on canvas
16 x 20 inches
A Valley's Flank, 2016
Hand embroidered cotton on aida on canvas
8 x 10 inches
Cypress, 2015
Hand embroidered cotton on aida on canvas in artist frame
12 x 9 inches
Blue amorous as a cloud, 2015
Hand embroidered cotton on aida on canvas in artist frame
8 x 10 inches
An Eye Dreads the Sun, 2015
Hand embroidered cotton on aida on canvas in artist frame
8 x 10 inches
At Sunset As At Sunrise, 2016
Hand embroidered cotton on aida on canvas in artist frame
8 x 10 inches
Runner Ran Running, 2016
Hand embroidered cotton on aida on canvas in artist frame
8 x 10 inches
A Valley's Flank, 2016
Hand embroidered cotton on aida on canvas
8 x 10 inches
Untitled (So Below), 2016
Hand embroidered cotton on aida on canvas
24 x 20 inches
I,II,III, 2016
Hand embroidered cotton on aida on canvas in artist frame
11 x 14 inches
Untitled (Layers), 2016
Hand embroidered cotton on aida on canvas
24 x 20 inches
The Distance From the Sea, 2016
Hand embroidered cotton on aida on canvas
8 x 10 inches
Red which is Blue, 2016
Hand embroidered cotton on aida on canvas
8 x 10 inches
A Sun Ultra Brave, 2016
Hand embroidered cotton on aida on canvas
8 x 10 inches
A Million Birds, 2016
Hand embroidered cotton on aida on canvas
10 x 8 inches
Blue Horizontal, 2016
Hand embroidered cotton on aida on canvas
10 x 8 inches
BIOGRAPHY
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, Nassar 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.
Jordan Nassar (b.1985, New York, NY) earned his BA at Middlebury College in 2007. His work has been featured in solo and group exhibitions globally at institutions including the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY; BRIC, Brooklyn, NY; Museum of Arts and Design, New York, NY; Abrons Art Center, New York, NY; Katonah Museum of Art, Katonah, NY; Anat Ebgi, Los Angeles, CA; James Cohan Gallery, New York, NY; Evelyn Yard, London, UK, Exile Gallery in Berlin, Germany, and The Third Line, Dubai, UAE. His work is included in the current group exhibition Making Knowing: Craft in Art, 1950 – 2019 at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Nassar’s work has been acquired by museum collections including the Whitney Museum of American Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art (Los Angeles), the Rhode Island School of Design Museum, and the Israel Museum, Tel Aviv. Nassar lives and works in New York, NY.
EXHIBITIONS
We Are The Ones To Go To The Mountain, September 15 – October 27, 2020
Staycation, April 7 – May 30, 2020
Home is Not a Place, June 8 – July 13, 2019
Frieze New York: Frame, May 2 – 6 , 2018
Dunya, September 9 – October 21, 2017
CV
Jordan Nassar
- 1985
- Born in Manhattan, NY
- Lives and works in New York City
Education
- 2007
- BA, Middlebury College, Vermont, US
Solo Exhibitions and Two Person Exhibitions
- 2021
- Seasons, Kukje Gallery, Seoul, South Korea (Forthcoming)
- 2020
- The Field is Infinite, KMAC Museum, Louisville, KY
- I Cut the Sky in Two, James Cohan, New York, NY
- We Are The Ones To Go To The Mountain, Anat Ebgi, Los Angeles, CA
- ADAA, with James Cohan, New York, NY
- 2019
- Between Sky and Earth, Bainbridge House, Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton, NJ
- The Sea Beneath Our Eyes, Center for Contemporary Art, Tel Aviv, Israel
- For Your Eyes, The Third Line, Dubai, UAE
- 2018
- Frieze New York, with Anat Ebgi, New York, NY
- 2017
- Dunya, Anat Ebgi, Los Angeles, CA
- Jaffa: New Works, Artport Tel Aviv, Israel
- 2016
- No Secret with Mika Horibuchi, LVL3 Gallery, Chicago, IL
- 2015
- And a Night, Evelyn Yard, London, UK
Group Exhibitions
- 2021
- Pt. 2: Invasive Species, Anat Ebgi, Los Angeles, CA
- 2020
- Picturing Motherhood Now: Images for a New Era, Cleveland Museum of Art, OH
- There is Fiction in Space, The Third Line, Dubai, UAE
- We Do Not Dream Alone, Asia Society Triennial, Asia Society, New York, NY
- RELATIONS: Diaspora and Painting, Phi Foundation for Contemporary Art, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
- The Armory Show, with James Cohan, New York, NY
- 2019
- Art Basel Miami, with Anat Ebgi, Miami, FL
- Making Knowing: Craft in Art 1950-2019, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY
- James Cohan: Twenty Years, James Cohan, New York, NY
- Home is Not a Place, Anat Ebgi, Los Angeles, CA
- Go Away Road, Loyal Gallery, Stockholm, Sweden
- Frieze Los Angeles, with Anat Ebgi, Los Angeles, CA
- Borders, James Cohan Gallery, New York NY
- The Conversation, Anat Ebgi at Minnesota Street Project, San Francisco, CA
- 2018
- Art Toronto, with Anat Ebgi, Toronto, Canada
- Out Of Ink, 8 Ball, NYC, NY
- A Matter Of Printing (for SMC), Supportico Lopez, Berlin, Germany
- Pray For This Gallery, NYC, NY
- Home Edition, Essex Flowers, NYC, NY
- The New Minimalists, Abrons Art Center, NYC, NY
- New Threads: Perspectives in Contemporary Fiber Art, Laband Art Gallery, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA
- Long, Winding Journeys: Contemporary Art and the Islamic Tradition, Kotonah Museum of Art, NYC, NY
- 2017
- Bootleg T-shirt Show Part III, Printed Matter Inc., NYC, NY
- Untitled Art Fair Miami, with Vigo Gallery, Miami, FL
- On Longing, Arcadia Missa, NYC, NY
- Overview, Samuel, Chicago, IL
- Art Los Angeles Contemporary with Anat Ebgi, Los Angeles, CA
- Untitled, Anat Ebgi, Los Angeles, San Francisco, CA
- 2016
- Summer Reading, Fortnight Institute, NYC, NY
- In Residence, Las Cruxes, Houston, TX
- 2015
- Bootleg T-Shirt Show Part II, Printed Matter, Inc., NYC, NY
- Ausstellung 61, Exile Gallery, Berlin, Germany
- NADA NY with Evelyn Yard, London, UK
- 2014
- June Snow, Evelyn Yard, London, UK
Group Publication Exhibitions
- 2016
- E.A.S.T. (East Austin Studio Tour), ATM Gallery, Austin, TX
- CASSANDRA, NY Art Book Fair 2016, NY
- FLEX PLEX 2K16, LA Art Book Fair 2016, CA
- 2015
- Showroom Miami, SWGR Gallery, Miami, FL
- Up in Smoke 2, NY Art Book Fair 2015, NYC, NY
Artist Residencies
- 2017
- Artport Tel Aviv, Israel
- 2016
- ACE AIR, Ace Hotel, New York, NY
Publications and Press
- 2019
- Landscape Painting Now, Distributed Art Publishers (Forthcoming April 2019)
- 2018
- "How To Sleep Faster, Issue 8" Published by Arcadia Missa, London
- 2017
- "Zine Tornado", Published by Peter Sutherland and Maia Ruth Lee
- "Violent Music", Published by Cali Thornhill Dewitt
- 2016
- The Third Rail (Summer 2016)
Selected Press
- 2020
- Alina Cohen, "5 Embroidery Tips from Leading Contemporary Artists," Artsy, May 19, 2020. (Link)
- Martha Schwendener, "The Art Show at The Armory," New York Times, February 27, 2020. (Link)
- Murtaza Vali, "Artforum Critic's Pick," December 18, 2019. (Link)
- Aaron Hicklin, "Jordan Nassar’s new apartment exhibition lives between the Israel, Palestine binary," Document Journal, November 26, 2019. (Link)
- Artsy Editors "The Artists To Know Right Now," The Artsy Vanguard, September 16, 2019. (Link)
- 2019
- Claire Wrathall, "New Threads," Christie's Magazine, June 2019. (Link)
- Harry Tafoya, "Finding Both Comfort and Challenge in the Idea of "'Home.'" Hyperallergic, July 2, 2019. (Link)
- "Reframing Inherited Nostalgia," Harper's Bazaar Arabia, April 2019. (Link)
- "Jordan Nassar's New Take on Traditional Hand Embroidery," Embroidery Magazine, January 2019
- 2018
- Rebecca Bengal, "How This Brooklyn-Based Artist is Transforming Traditional Palestinian Folk Art," Wall Street Journal, September 11, 2018. (Link)
- "Watch: The Cross-Cultural Relationship Between Married Artists Jordan Nassar and Amir Guberstein," OUT Magazine, May 18, 2018. (Link)
- Alex Bacon, "Jordan Nassar is delicately weaving a new vision into one of Palestine’s cultural legacies," Document, May 4, 2018. (Link)
- Sara Roffino, "The 8 Best Booths to See at Frieze New York," Cultured Magazine, May 4, 2018. (Link)
- Alexandra Weiss, "10 Must-See Artists at Frieze New York 2018," BlackBook, May 3, 2018. (Link)
- Nadja Sayej, "Frieze New York: How This Year's Art Fair Got Political," The Guardian, May 3, 2018. (Link)
- Hamish Bowles, "Here’s What to Go See at This Year’s Frieze Art Fair," Vogue Magazine, May 3, 2018. (Link)
- Maximilíano Durón, "Preview Frieze New York 2018," ArtNews, May 1, 2018. (Link)
- Gareth Harris, "Frieze to bring West Coast buzz to New York," The Art Newspaper, April 30, 2018. (Link)
- Frieze New York, ARTPIL, April 22, 2018. (Link)
- Aaron Hicklin, "Spinning Yarns," Out Magazine, April 2018. (Link)
- 2017
- Leah Ollman, “Jordan Nassar at Anat Ebgi: Palestinian cross stitch art as boundary breaker,” Los Angeles Times, October 21, 2017.
- 2016
- Molly Taylor, “New Establishment,” Elephant Magazine Issue 28, Autumn 2016.
- Feature on Littlestar Weekly, www.littlestarjournal.com, August 1, 2016.
- 2015
- LVL3, “Artist of the Week: Jordan Nassar,” September 15, 2015.
Selected Bibliography of Self-Published Artist's Books
- 2016
- A Whole New World
- We Were Here First
- Bellevue
- Any Other Rose
- Messenger of the Gods
- Kahlil Gibran
- 2015
- When It’s Naked
- Ma Rose Apocalypse
Collections
- Bonnier Collection, Stockholm
- Fidelity Collection, Boston, MA
- Israel Museum, Tel Aviv
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA
- Marciano Foundation, Los Angeles, CA
- Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA
- Rhode Island School of Design Museum, Providence, RI
- Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY