bio

My art explores the indigenous. The poetry, the land, the textiles, the carvings, the tattoos, the flora and fauna of my country Jordan, in particular, are all very inspiring to me.

Drawing inspiration from primitive, nomadic, and Bedouin mark-making traditions, I explore how gestures of early human expression found in indigenous cultures have always been a form of storytelling - a way of recording presence and identity. In my work I aim to bridge the space between these ancient traditions and modern expression, and to reimagine symbols and patterns born from desert landscapes, Middle Eastern heritage and sunlit horizons within a contemporary abstracted context.

To me, each painting is a poem of thought and emotion, a space where tradition and imagination meet, and a movement through colour, ancestry, nature, continuity and belonging.

NISSA RAAD

(Fakhrelnissa bint Raad)  is a Jordanian / Swedish artist - born in Amman in 1981. She was drawn to art at a very early age and has always been inspired by her late grandmother, the renowned Turkish artist Fahrelnissa Zeid. As a child, she was mesmerised by her paintings, which covered every visible surface- walls, ceilings and even floors. The colours and bold forms had a lasting effect on her approach to art throughout her life.

She graduated from Brown University in 2002 with a BA in history before receiving an MSc in urban development and design from UCL, London, in 2004 - influencing the majority of her early works of urban landscapes - Middle Eastern/Mediterranean cities and towns in particular.

Using a variety of media, Nissa’s current works are of botanicals and landscapes - abstracted interpretations of her natural surroundings - the rocks, the mountains and the valleys of the ancient land of  Jordan in particular. These splashes of colour intermingle with bold cultural elements inspired by Middle Eastern and Bedouin heritage - the indigenous and the nomadic are key elements of her work.

Nissa has had several sold-out solo exhibitions and have participated in numerous group exhibitions both locally and internationally, as well as contemporary art fairs in Dubai, Tokyo, Istanbul, Beirut, Paris, New York, Cairo and Madrid.