A group of people sitting and standing in an outdoor garden area, some holding coffee cups, while one woman appears to be giving a presentation or talking to the group.
A woman with long brown hair and red lipstick sits on a gray chair with wooden legs, wearing a black top and a colorful, patterned skirt. Behind her, there are two pillows with intricate designs leaning against the wall. The wall has two posters; one with bold black and colorful writing stating "I am not a serious artist," and another framed poster with text about art critics explaining art.

BIO / RIMA MUSA

Professional over-sharer.
I live, create, and occasionally fall apart in Amsterdam.

Confessional artist.

Plastic bottle pouring white foam or foam-like substance into a clear container on a white surface.
Woman looking at a book with cross-stitch patterns on a wooden table in a bright room with curtains.
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A woman in a black wedding dress with colorful embroidery stands barefoot, holding a beaded necklace overhead, with handwritten notes about her wedding dress and physical pain.
Woman lying in bed under white blanket, using her phone. The bed has colorful embroidered pillows and a gray headboard with pink ribbon ties. A dark blanket is draped over the foot of the bed.
Close-up of a woman's ear adorned with a gold earring with a small charm, surrounded by wavy brown hair.
A white vintage instant camera with a black pop-up lens on top, placed on a white surface against a plain white background.

  • My photographic practice is an interplay between personal narrative and embodied memory, employing self-portraiture and symbolic artefacts, such as my Inside-Out Thobe [Palestinian Cross-stitched dress] or a broken camera, as sites of resilience and reclamation. Drawing from autoethnographic methodologies, my work transforms private grief into a critical discourse on trauma, agency and humour. Through materially engaged processes, I examine how post-memory manifests in diasporic consciousness.

  • My work explores cultural heritage and resilience through Tatreez [traditional Palestinian embroidery]. I've started embroidering a dress for a young girl from Gaza, inspired by a Thobe made for me by my own aunt as a child, to offer dignity, love, and ancestral strength amid tremendous displacement and loss. I'm also currently focused on digitising embroidery patterns from my grandmother’s thobes, preserving their symbolic motifs to safeguard this legacy for future generations. Both pieces honour intergenerational knowledge, resistance, and the enduring power of craft as both personal and collective history.

  • I facilitate voluntary workshops on Palestinian Tatreez, a traditional embroidery practice, exploring its history and cultural significance. Each session includes a hands-on component where participants learn basic stitches and embroider a small motif. These workshops, previously hosted at VU Amsterdam, the University of Amsterdam, and private venues, offer an inclusive space to engage with Palestinian heritage, feminism, and politics through craft. All skill levels are welcome.

For inquiries, booking requests, availability, and collaborations, please fill out the provided form.

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For inquiries, booking requests, availability, and collaborations, please fill out the provided form. *