A new exhibition celebrating the rich embroidery traditions of Palestine and 45 years of Dundee’s twinning with Nablus is opening at V&A Dundee

Picture: V&A Dundee

A new free exhibition at V&A Dundee is set to open its doors this week, offering a rare and deeply moving insight into the traditional embroidery practices of Palestine.

Thread Memory: Embroidery from Palestine, opening Thursday 26 June and running until spring 2026, explores the centuries-old art of tatreez – an intricate hand-embroidery tradition that tells personal stories through patterns and stitch.

Deeply rooted in Palestinian culture, tatreez is more than craft – it’s a visual language, woven into dresses and garments to reveal a woman’s identity, region, and life journey.

The exhibition brings together over 30 historic dresses from Palestine, spanning the late 19th century to the present day.

Alongside the garments are veils, headdresses, jewellery, and archival photography that together create an immersive and powerful portrait of Palestinian heritage.

Tatreez has been recognised by UNESCO as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. In Thread Memory, it’s shown not only as a form of skilled craftsmanship but also as a symbol of national identity, resilience and solidarity across generations.

One poignant part of the exhibition focuses on Gaza, featuring historical dresses from villages across the region – including a dress damaged in the bombing of the Rafah Museum in 2023. It’s a moment that honours creativity and culture in the face of loss.

The exhibition also celebrates a unique link between Dundee and Palestine. In 1980, Dundee became the first UK city to twin with a Palestinian city – Nablus.

It was a bold and meaningful act at the time, and today that connection is marked as part of the exhibition’s storytelling.

One section spotlights Nabulsi dress and brings together material from Dundee’s collections and Palestinian archives, highlighting shared history between the two cities.

Thread Memory: Embroidery from Palestine is a collaboration between the Palestinian Museum in the West Bank, Art Jameel, V&A South Kensington, and V&A Dundee. It’s based on the original exhibition that was first shown at Hayy Jameel in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Leonie Bell, Director of V&A Dundee, said:

“Thread Memory: Embroidery from Palestine is an exhibition that through research, collections and partnership explores the traditions and material culture of Palestinian dress and the vast range of regional styles that tell important stories about the lives of the women who made, adapted and wore these dresses, jewellery, headdresses and accessories.

The exhibition also explores the 45-year-old connection between Dundee and Nablus, a twinning relationship that has brought these two cities together, and it celebrates contemporary Palestinian design and creativity from Dundee, Scotland and across the UK.”

Thread Memory: Embroidery from Palestine is now open at V&A Dundee and runs until spring 2026. Admission is free.

You can find out more about the exhibition here.