Articolo tratto da Aesthetica Magazine
Lalla Essaydi’s (b. 1956) versatile practice has always encompassed a multitude of media such as painting, mixed media and video. But, since 2002, the Moroccan-born artist has embraced photography as a contemporary, multi-disciplinary outlet, one which has enabled the development of a unique, performance-driven process incorporating calligraphy, interior design and costume design.
The most recent example of this is Still in Progress at Leila Heller Gallery, Dubai, a show that draws audiences into a modern-day harem. Instead of being welcomed by coquettish odalisques averting their eyes, however, viewers are accosted by confrontational stares. Preoccupied with the role of women in the Arab world – and how infrequently they are represented in Western art – Essaydi evokes a conceptualised retelling of the figures, building a new pathway that enables the women to return and assert a female gaze through the lens. Converging Territories, Harem, Les Femmes Du Maroc and Bullets Revisited are seamlessly incorporated into the show, pieces that look to history as an influence, armed with sociocultural facts that reclaim a sense of authority and innate knowledge.