Artist Statement

Inass Yassin is a studio artist and exhibitions curator; formerly the director of Birzeit University Museum. Through object and image creation, time-based interventions, and research, Yassin explores various mediums such as sculpture, video, installation, and painting. Her socially engaged practice delves into the cultural shifts in Palestinian society since the late 1980s. By documenting changes in the urban landscape and observing the evolution of social life in Palestine, her work uncovers the politics and aesthetics of transformation on both personal and communal levels.

Through collaborative projects, she encourages communities to reflect on the forces that have reshaped social realities. Notable examples include: Projection (2008-2010) at Al-Waleed Cinema house in Ramallah-Al Bireh, Studio Cairo (2011-2012) in Nablus, the gardening initiative: Romantic Boycott (2013-2017) at Birzeit University, and the outdoor neon sculpture: God Bless (2017) in The Palestinian Museum garden.

In her previous painting works, like The Sea is Black (2007) and Transformation (2008), she used imagery to portray the Palestinians' deep connections with immobility and lack of access to their land. 

Sparkling City (2015) explored a comparable urban change in Beirut.

In her latest painting endeavors, Beauties of The Town 2022, and Bride and Groom (2019-2020), she delves into the tradition of oil painting portraits to explore the changing social dynamics. The medium serves as a platform for the artist to scrutinize the political constraints in both social and art history.

As the director and curator of Birzeit University Museum from 2010 to 2017, she revamped the museum within the university's academic program. She developed exhibition themes, collections, and education programs for five years, overseeing their execution.

 During which she  curated Political Posters in Private Collections 2013, as well as co-curated Framed-Unframed 2011.

As a freelance artist and curator, She curated a significant exhibition at The Palestinian Museum titled: A People By The Sea; "بلد وحده البحر" displayed from September 2021 to September 2024. As a painter, she also enjoyed to work as curator for the retrospective of the renowned artist Samia Halaby at Sharajah Art Museum: Samia Halaby: Lasting Impressions, in 2023-2024.

Inass Yassin has exhibited her work in Palestine and internationally, including New York, Portland ME, Leipzig, Oslo, Eindhoven, and Dubai. She has also participated in residencies at Braziers in the United Kingdom, Makan in Jordan, and Cittadella Arte in Italy. Her work is part of various public and private collections, both locally and internationally. She holds M.F.A and M.A degrees from the Maine College of Art and the University of Southampton, respectively. Furthermore, her pursuits have garnered support from esteemed institutions such as the Fulbright Student Program, the Arab Fund for Art and Culture (AFAC), the Ford Foundation, and the Hani Qaddoumi Foundation