Artist Feature: Nada Esmaeel
Nada Esmaeel is a Palestinian-American artist that began her journey in Charlotte, North Carolina. She began selling her first “journal art” pieces at Tough Ass Crew, a local art shop that has since closed, and this is where her art found its initial outlet, enabling her to navigate commentary on social observations. Her work over the years has since developed into a stunning array of vibrant portraits, symbols and landscapes that give homage to her rich heritage. Growing up in a large, tight-knit Muslim and Arab community meant that Esmaeel easily identified with her culture, but it often left her with the feeling that she was unable to grow past the confines of its conservatism. It’s only when she moved away to university that she was able to immerse herself into all the facets of her creativity and in different communities whilst truly nurturing her passion for the arts.
Exploring what it means to be Palestinian, away from Western discourse and the white gaze, led Esmaeel to appreciate the depth of her heritage in all the ways it can be visually shared and all the different symbols that have come to represent the resilience of an oppressed people. The desire to look beyond the pain and celebrate is what sets these pieces apart.
In 2022, Esmaeel, being an American passport holder, was able to visit her homeland and take part in the initiative Eyewitness Palestine — an education program that advocates for lifelong social justice amongst the Palestine solidarity movement. With the Olive Harvest and Environmental Justice delegation, her visit to different cities and villages became eye-opening as she spent time talking to locals about how they conduct every-day life under occupation. A trip to Wadi Foquin, a village southwest of Bethlehem in the Occupied West Bank, particularly stood out. Esmaeel described overlooking the village one afternoon and having it pointed out the damage that a nearby illegal Israeli settlement had done by pumping their sewage directly onto the Palestinian land, the least of overlooked violations that will continued to hinder Palestinian livelihood. Her powerfully potent piece portraying a striking woman standing in front of her family farm with the apartheid wall and burnt olive trees in the background was inspired by this visit and many others to olive farms all over Palestine that had felt the ruin of settler colonialism.
When asked about those that inspire her, Esmaeel referred to Dana Barqawi, Rama Duwaji, Nora Zeid to name a few, and spoke of the beautiful tatreez research work of Wafa Ghnaim. Although she is a digital artist, mixed medium work that involves qualities such as tatreez, a traditional Palestinian woven pattern, prompts Esmaeel to involve and showcase it in her pieces frequently. You can see the intricate details woven into the traditional thobes of the Palestinian women in various portraits, accompanied by different accessories that illustrate the diverse nature of Palestine’s different communities.
Nada Esmaeel’s artwork is a credit to her community. Her meticulous technique and purposeful use of colour and symbolism portrays something that extends beyond a 2D painting — the feelings of awe, solidarity and hope encompass each piece and I cannot wait to see what else Esmaeel has in store.
Nada Esmaeel interviewed by Asia Khatun.
You can follow, support and purchase Nada’s work through these links:
https://www.instagram.com/nadasink
https://www.etsy.com/shop/nadasink