Image of red veiled figure on a tiled staircase, seen from above. Printed in black and red ink.
"I work with Video, Photography, Printmaking and Performance. At the heart of my work lies an exploration into the experience of cultural displacement. Manifestations of my work are realised through performance and site-responsive activities that merge Eastern and Western sensibilities.
In the performances I make a commentary on the Western notion of Orientalism and the effects of the cross-pollination of cultures on female identity and architecture. By setting the ambiguously veiled woman within the architecture of the Victoria & Albert Museum and Leighton House Museum, I interrogated the relationships between, not simply the veil and the ‘West’, but also between the museum and the ‘East’. In my images, the viewer is presented with the image of a veiled woman, yet the veil prevents classification or knowledge of the figure. It is not necessarily a hijab, nor a niqab, but it could be part of a sari or a wedding veil. This openness of possible readings illustrates the multi-faceted nature of the garment. The positioning of the figure within the domestic European interior in some of my works, further complicates interpretation by referencing European traditions of veiled women, such as those found in the work of Vermeer and Rembrandt. I also consider the veil in its historical context, going as far back as Mesopotamian culture, where wearing the veil was a sign of belonging to the higher ranks of society. I use historical comparison to highlight social and political issues, especially those surrounding gender politics and the veil.
The architectural sites that I work within are of a particular era with specific links to colonialism, now post-colonialism, and the ‘East’, and I find that they are interesting to work in, in their own right. I conduct research into the history of these sites, which informs the source of the fabric that becomes a costume or veil for my performing model to wear. As part of the performance, the subject tells a story drawn from the history of the site, exploring my feeling of cultural duality." (From artist's email on 23rd October 2018)
