The Veil in Contemporary Art

The veil in art is often still situated within Western discourse.  Contemporary artists using the veil within their work often challenge colonial images of veil, and engage in Western debates about veil; less so do they engage in dialogue solely about the Islamic use...

Meanings of the Veil Within Islam

While the West may view the veil as oppressive, it also has a history within Islamic countries as a symbol of revolution and a rejection of Western values like consumerism that were themselves deemed to be negative.  For example, during the French colonization of...

Orientalism and the Western Gaze

During the Colonial Period, when western nations were controlling or attempting to control Arab and Islamic countries (among others), the veil came to be used as a symbol of women’s oppression and Islamic “backwardness” that Western Colonial powers used as...

The Veil and Islam Today

Today the veil as worn by women has become synonymous with Islam in the Western mind.  Veil is an English word that does little to accurately describe the diverse character of coverings worn by women and occasionally men in Islam.  Guindi, in her book “Veil”, suggests...

Cited Sources and Suggestions for Further Reading

AFRICA IS A COUNTRY. (n.d.). AFRICA IS A COUNTRY. Retrieved February 24, 2014, from http://africasacountry.com/an-interview-with-artist-lalla-essaydi-on-looking-beyond-beauty/ Artistic Depictions of Arab Women: An Interview with Artist Lalla Essaydi. (n.d.).Artistic...

Authentic American Materials

In Essaydi’s two latest series, Bullets and Bullets Revisited, scenes are created with bullet casings which transform the domestic interior space into a psychological realm charged with violence within contemporary society.[1] Creating these series proved to be...