I Would Tread Lightly [2023]
This exhibition presents objects related to being a Palestinian in diaspora, and more specifically, the sense of heaviness that results from vicarious trauma and unbelonging. Upon abstracting the said heaviness into geometric embroidery, serial sculptures, non-narrative videos, and performance works, the artist finds entry points for processing emotional trauma, both individually and collectively.
The video works in I Would Tread Lightly cluster around the themes of glitches, self-censorship, and the surreal search for home. A series of sculptures made of clay, textile, resin, and children’s play objects, act as stand-ins for the women and children from Palestine who are illegally held in occupier prisons. Also represented in this body of works are the 12 withheld bodies of Palestinians who have died in prison, never to be given a funeral or dignified burial. The embroideries in the show are a series of maps that reinterpret traditional Palestinian embroidery motifs, both as containers and as speculative escape plans.
Another cluster of works explore the impressions from her first trip to Palestine at age 34. The writings, Palestine Striations, are created with Al Ghusain’s non-dominant hand, in order to tap into the subconscious. She also explores the landscape of Palestine, specifically its hills, sunsets, and waterfalls as a way of joyously experiencing what should have been part of her childhood and as a catalyst for an intentional mourning process as an adult.
