Joanna Barakat

Joanna Barakat is a visual artist known for her mixed-media artwork combining painting and Palestinian embroidery. She also works across other mediums, such as textile, animation and digital art, to communicate transcendental ideas, challenge collective perceptions and advocate for Palestine through her self-reflective work. Her artwork has been exhibited worldwide and featured in numerous publications and on the cover of the award-winning poetry book Umbilical Discord. She currently has work in The Lost Paintings: A Prelude to the Return and SILA – All That is Left to You exhibitions. Now living in Abu Dhabi, Barakat was born in Jerusalem, raised in Los Angeles and then moved to London for university. She received her BA from Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London and her MA from SOAS, University of London. Alongside her art practice, she is dedicated to preserving and celebrating Palestinian embroidery through her workshops and on social media through The Tatreez Circle. Barakat is the author of Narrative Threads: Palestinian Embroidery in Contemporary Art (Saqi, 2025).

press and publications

Rainbow, Greta. (2026, January 12) “The Contemporary Relevance of Palestinian Tatreez” Hyperallergic

Yusuf, Muhammad. (2026, January 10) “Timeless Stitches, Timely Show: Maraya Wraps Up Palestine Embroidery Showcase” Gulf Today (Culture)

The New Arab Book Club (2025, December 24) “From Witness to Resistance: The Books the Marked 2025” The New Arab (Features, Book Club)

Bedirian, Razmig. (2025, October 1) “Survival Patterns: Palestinian History and Resistance Showcased in Sharjah Tatreez Exhibition” The National (Culture, Art & Design)

 Shaffi, Sarah (2025, August 27) “Narrative Threads: Rediscovering Tatreez with Joanna Barakat” The New Arab (Features, Book Club)

Shihadi, Lemma. (2025, August 22) “Stitches in Time: How Palestinian Artists Have Given tatreez Embroidery a New Symbolism” The National (Culture, Weekend)

Tatreez Talk Podcast (2025, Aug 14), “Fluent in Tatreez with Joanna Barakat” Season 4, Episode 12

Harris, Gareth. (2025, July 1) “July Book Bag: from a monograph of Vincent Namatjira’s headline-grabbing portraits to a book of Chinese art heists” The Art Newspaper                     

Musatafa, Rawand. Umbilical Discord. Artwork on the cover (Universtiy of Arkansas Press 2024)

https://www.uapress.com/product/umbilical-discord/

Henderson, Ailish, Narrative Textiles: Tell Your Story in Mixed Media and Stitch (Batsford 2024)

https://www.batsfordbooks.com/book/narrative-textiles/

Ingram, Heidi. “5 Mixed Media Textile Artists” TextileArtist.org (9 May 2022)

https://www.textileartist.org/10-mixed-media-textile-artists/

Interview on Ilna Collective Website “All About Palestinian Tatreez: A Jiffy with Joanna Barakat from The Tatreez Circle” (2021, August)

https://www.ilnacollective.com/post/all-about-palestinian-tatreez-a-jiffy-w--joanna-barakat-from-the-tatreez-circle

Abulhaija, Jenna. (2021, July) “Tatreez Untangled: The Story of Palestine’s Trademark Embroidery” Palestine in America-Fashion Edition Volume 1, Issue 11 

https://www.palestineinamerica.com/blog/untangledtatreez

Deerah Preserving Palestine Live Series (2021, June 5)

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CPvmQo0n3jy/?utm_medium=copy_link

Gallery Girl Podcast interview (2020, May 13)

https://anchor.fm/gallerygirl/episodes/Gallery-Girl-Meets-Joanna-Barakat-ec8f0v/a-a1qvj5f

Mandell, Hinda. (2019) Crafting Dissent: Handicraft as Protest from the American Revolution to the Pussyhats. page 188.

Egerton, Laura. (2019, June 24) “Tashkeel’s Summer Exhibtion: Celebrating an Incredible Decade of Achievement” The National.

https://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/art/tashkeel-s-summer-exhibition-celebrating-an-incredible-decade-of-achievement-1.878469

Heing, Bridey.  (2018, November 12) “The Exhibition in the US Showcasing the Arab World through an Alternate Lens” The National.

Gannon, Mo. (2018, September 21) “Get Hooked on Traditional Palestinian Embroidery” Arab News. 

Hamad, Marwa. (2018, September 7) “Championing Palestinian Art” Gulf News Tabloid. Cover and pages 10-11. 

Joanna Barakat (2018) Tribe Magazine, Issue 06, Pages 166-171 

Nowell, Cecilia, (2017, December 15) “These Embroiderers are Stitching a United Declaration of Human Rights Quilt” Bust.com