Car Nazzal
ماي (water), 2026
Stoneware Clay (Reduction and Oxidation), Glaze, Metal, Glass
Our need for water connects all human beings. In a time when this precious resource is discarded, polluted, or redirected for AI, water is one of the few things we cannot survive without.
This still life sculpture is made from clay, glass, and metal. Inspired by the survival skills videos coming out of Gaza, Palestine teaching folks how to filter water.
The knowledge in these videos is not symbolic. It is practical. It is Sumud. It is being passed hand to hand. This work holds that transmission. With the state of the world it is knowledge we will likely all need to know. Palestinians are teaching everyone how to survive. Because even in destruction we will not be destroyed.
Car Nazzal (they/them) is a sculptor based in California. Moved by the liminal space of diaspora, their work explores Palestinian identity, queer expansiveness, and the layered complexities of the self. Informed by psychology, Nazzal gives form to the psyche's rebellious undercurrents, creating sculptures that challenge assumption and embrace contradiction.
Nazzal has been awarded residencies at the Mendocino Art Center and Bread and Puppet Theater. They are the recipient of a 2026 Multicultural Fellowship from the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA). Their work has been exhibited at esteemed institutions including the American Museum of Ceramic Art (Pomona, CA); New Museum Los Gatos (NUMU, CA); Spring Break Art Fair (New York, NY); Mendocino Art Center (CA); and the Arab American National Museum (MI), with additional exhibitions in galleries across Turtle Island. Their sculptures are held in private collections.
Connect with Car:
CarNazzal.com
Source inspiration video here:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DCPChndNO9s/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DDzeazgRNfG/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==