bio

As a first-generation Palestinian American, Samar Hussaini creates layered, multidisciplinary work that explores identity, memory, and the connections between culture and place. She earned a BFA in Art History and Studio Arts from the University of Maryland and a Master’s degree in Communication Design from Pratt Institute in New York.

Before returning to fine art, Hussaini built a successful career in advertising, where her design work received multiple awards, including Silver and Gold Awards from DTC and Creative Recognition from The One Show RX. Her continued commitment to fine art has also been recognized with several awards, including the Innovative Fine Art Award from the Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club in New York.

Hussaini gained international recognition through her participation in the 59th Venice Art Biennale. Her work has been exhibited in galleries, museums, group exhibitions, and solo exhibitions in the United States and internationally. Her work has also been featured in books, publications, and other media.

Hussaini lives and works in West Orange, New Jersey, where she creates innovative mixed-media works that combine painting, embroidery, and mixed-media processes.

artist statement

I am deeply rooted in my heritage and identity as a Palestinian. My multidisciplinary practice includes abstract painting, sculptural dresses, free-hand embroidery, and ready-to-wear fashion, each exploring different aspects of Palestinian identity, resilience, and the experience of diaspora.

In my abstract paintings, fields of color evoke land and belonging, while motifs from Palestinian tatreez, traditional cross-stitch embroidery, reflect life and generations of identity passed down.

Through sculptural dress-based works, I reimagine the thobe, a dress that represents Palestinian regional identities. By removing the physical body from the dress and exaggerating its form, I explore diasporic identity and disembodiment, and the impact of displacement on cultural identity.

Free-hand embroidery explores Palestinian identity and reconstruction. Using reimagined free-hand embroidery designs based on tatreez motifs I inherited from my mother and grandmother, I stitch together deconstructed paintings, bringing the pieces back together through embroidery.

Ready-to-wear fashion brings art from wall into wearable forms, continuing the Palestinian tradition of carrying cultural narratives through clothing.

Through these processes, I explore how identity is carried, disrupted, reconstructed, and preserved across generations.

Art, as a transcendent force, possesses the capacity to bridge divides and foster empathy. I firmly believe that my artistic endeavors contribute to creating a deeper understanding, appreciation, and compassion for my Palestinian people.