Aslan’s Love traces Palestinian craft through time and wedding
Turquoise Mountain's new exhibition at Design Doha unfolds the life of a third generation Nabulsi tile artisan through four craft traditions rooted in Palestinian memory and ritual.
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Aslan’s Love, organised by Turquoise Mountain, is inspired by the personal story of Jalal Aslan, a third generation Nabulsi tile artisan, whose love story shaped his craft. Curated by George Tadros, the life of the Nabulsi tile maker Jalal Aslan is told through four crafts tied to the stages of a Palestinian wedding. The exhibition unfolds within Fereej Al Asmakh, the heritage district that has become the thematic centre of Design Doha this year, its restored courtyards and narrow streets offering an intimate setting for work created through displacement and held in memory.
The exhibition draws on the work of Jalal Aslan and Palestinian craftspeople, including a Doha based collective of 70 women and young people sustaining tatreez embroidery. Making becomes a way to hold on to identity through displacement. These are not merely objects on display, but living traditions tended by hands that understand the weight of continuity, the quiet rebellion of keeping a craft alive across generations and borders.
All exhibitions are open from 5 November 2026 until 31 January 2027. Aslan’s Love occupies E27 within the biennial’s sprawling geography. To visit is to move through courtyard houses and narrow sikkas while witnessing how material, touch and family ritual become acts of cultural preservation.
Imagery courtesy of Turquoise Mountain (@turquoisemountain).