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My artwork is a document of an often contradictory existence in
two cultures-the one of my birth and childhood and the other of
my coming of age and education. The many challenges of being a
Muslim woman in the western culture have become sites for my
artistic exploration as they are urgently faced in the day to
day molding of my artistic approaches. It is no accident that I
have one foot in so many disciplines. I choose to bounce between
image and text; and refuse to be pinned down in a single
category.
Beginning from
interests in both painting and in Arabic calligraphy, I have
become increasingly interested in the relationship between
textuality and visuality, both aesthetically and culturally. My
work has moved from painting towards video, performance and text
in response to investigating issues and questions about
femininity and representation. My cross-cultural background
informs my artistic interests. I see myself as an
artist-researcher with feet firmly in two cultures. Having been
born and raised in Saudi Arabia my basis is in Eastern thought.
Living my adulthood in the United States has allowed
Western thought to shape my identity in the West. Being
influenced by the Western historical paintings that present the
female figure to male viewers, I also critique this tradition.
Many of the ideas that inform my work are generated by looking
at feminist artists that deal with female subjectivity as
source.
As a female artist,
I establish a vocabulary through image and text. In my MFA
thesis exhibition I question the presence of the female figure.
The appearance and disappearance of the female figure are
alluded to through her remains, voice, shadow, vocal and written
marks, and the space she occupies. I refuse to present her
physically. I visit Saudi Arabia as female artist investigating
gender relations and see signs of segregation between the sexes.
Working with the female gaze, I combine theory and practice to
embrace both sides of my cultural heritage and to experiment
with modes of writing and making art.
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