Nosheen Iqbal Translates Islamic Ornament into Meticulous Wood-and-Thread Patterns
Meticulously cut wooden panels, semi-precious beads, and layered thread and cordage transform into intricate geometric reliefs by . The Dallas-based artist draws on her background in product design and illustration to create chromatic works that tap into craft, nature, and ancestry.
Taking inspiration from her Pakistani heritage and the immanently ornate forms of Islamic architecture and ornament, Iqbal combines wood, which she might associate with building, with textile-related media like fiber and beads. The resulting compositions are elegant meditations on the power of pattern to connect us to culture, family, and familiarity.
“Sarghoshiaan” (2025), wood, cotton fiber, and semi-precious beads, 57 x 40 x 1 inches
Iqbal’s work is currently on view in the artist’s solo exhibition, Inherited Forms at in Norman, Oklahoma. Her material explorations examine “how patterns passed through generations carry narratives of identity, belonging, and resilience,” Iqbal says in a statement. “These inherited forms become a visual language; one that transcends words and quietly preserves histories that might otherwise disappear.”
Inherited Forms continues through September 11. See more on Iqbal’s .
“Chaman” (2026), wood, cotton fiber, and semi-precious beads, 54 x 29 x 1.5 inches (triptych)“Botanical Allegory 1” (2025), wood, cotton fiber, and semi-precious beads, 12 x 28.5 x 1 inches“Convergence” (2026), wood, cotton fiber, and semi-precious beads, 60 x 48 x 1.5 inches‘Curved Crosshatch Series’ (2025-26), wood, cotton fiber, and semi-precious beads, 33 x 57 x .5 inches“Afroz” (2026), wood, cotton fiber, and semi-precious beads, 18 x 36 inchesDetails of “Afroz” (background) and “Rahat No.2 (Comfort)” (2026), wood, cotton fiber, and semi-precious beads, 18 x 36 inches“Abir No.3” (2026), wood, cotton fiber, and semi-precious beads, 18 x 40 inchesDetail of “Abir No.3”
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