Jordan Nassar

b. 1985 in New York, NY, United States of America
Working in New York, NY, United States of America
Showing at Asia Society Museum
On view October 27, 2020, through February 7, 2021

Jordan Nassar, I Am Waiting For You, 2018. Hand-embroidered cotton on cotton. H. 34 x W. 36 in. (86.4 x 91.4 cm). Collection of Giora Kaplan. Image courtesy the artist; Anat Ebgi, Los Angeles; The Third Line, Dubai; and James Cohan, New York
Location: Asia Society Museum

Jordan Nassar, Memories, 2018. Hand-embroidered cotton on cotton. H. 33 1/2 x W. 36 in. (85.1 x 91.4 cm). Collection of Giora Kaplan. Image courtesy the artist; Anat Ebgi, Los Angeles; The Third Line, Dubai; and James Cohan, New York
Location: Asia Society Museum

From left to right: Jordan Nassar, I Am Waiting For You, 2018; Memories, 2018; Collection of Giora Kaplan

Installation view of Asia Society Triennial: We Do Not Dream Alone at Asia Society Museum, New York, October 27, 2020–June 27, 2021. From left to right: Jordan Nassar, I Am Waiting For You, 2018; Memories, 2018; Collection of Giora Kaplan. Photograph © Bruce M. White, 2020
Location: Asia Society Museum

Jordan Nassar, I Am Waiting For You, 2018, Collection of Giora Kaplan

Installation view of Asia Society Triennial: We Do Not Dream Alone at Asia Society Museum, New York, October 27, 2020–June 27, 2021. Jordan Nassar, I Am Waiting For You, 2018, Collection of Giora Kaplan. Photograph © Bruce M. White, 2020
Location: Asia Society Museum

Jordan Nassar, Memories, 2018, Collection of Giora Kaplan

Installation view of Asia Society Triennial: We Do Not Dream Alone at Asia Society Museum, New York, October 27, 2020–June 27, 2021. Jordan Nassar, Memories, 2018, Collection of Giora Kaplan. Photograph © Bruce M. White, 2020
Location: Asia Society Museum

Jordan Nassar, This Is My Night, 2018. Hand-embroidered cotton on cotton. H. 35 x W. 36 in. (88.9 x 91.4 cm). Courtesy of James Cohan, New York. Image courtesy the artist; Anat Ebgi, Los Angeles; The Third Line, Dubai; and James Cohan, New York

Jordan Nassar’s meticulously crafted embroidered works depict imaginary landscapes that fuse craft with concept. Growing up within the Palestinian diaspora inspired the artist’s engagement with traditional Palestinian decorative motifs. He uses these to address the sociopolitical histories and hierarchies that dictate the existence of Palestinians living in the West Bank and the imaginations of those who have left that place. These works are often realized with assistance from hired female artisans from the West Bank.

The two embroideries included in the Triennial are examples of this partnership. Nassar, who received a BA from Middlebury College, Vermont, in 2007, provides conceptual direction, but the women select the colors and patterns of the embroidery to fill all of the canvas except a predesignated rectangular area. Their handiwork often reflects regional and personal histories. Nassar finishes the work by embroidering his own pattern in the remaining blank space; his intervention, often resembling a window looking onto an imaginary landscape, fancifully disrupts the rigid geometric grid dictated by the traditional patterns. The final composition is a physical and intellectual dialogue across cultures and genders that deftly subverts conventional hierarchies.

Events

Jordan Nassar, This Is My Night, 2018. Hand-embroidered cotton on cotton. H. 35 x W. 36 in. (88.9 x 91.4 cm). Courtesy the artist, Anat Ebgi, and James Cohan Gallery. Image courtesy the artist, Anat Ebgi, and James Cohan Gallery