I Will Reclaim My Identity, Installation 2017
Displayed for Muslim Feminists for the Arts' exhibition Hello My Name is in November 2017, this piece uses photography, drawing, and a hand painted mirror to depict the struggle between how Muslim women present themselves and how others see them or wish to see them.
Context: 3 Weeks, Muslim Feminists for the Arts
Contribution: Photography and art from concept to completion
A photograph of a Muslim woman wearing a headscarf is manipulated for her to instead be seen wearing her hair down. In the Muslim community, some Muslims may judge women for wearing a headscarf and see her perhaps as "too conservative." Similarly, in the non-Muslim community she will be seen as conservative, oppressed, and submissive.
A photograph of a Muslim woman showing her hair is manipulated for her to instead be seen wearing her headscarf. In the Muslim community, some Muslims may judge women for wearing wearing her hair down and see her perhaps as "too liberal." Similarly, in the non-Muslim community she may not be seen as Muslim at all.
The purpose of the piece is to delicately show the frustration of the image of the Muslim woman and try to reclaim that depiction. Additionally, it calls out both the Muslim and non-Muslim communities for constantly trying to redraw the image of Muslim women, rather than allowing themselves to draw their own identity.