In *Harem #2*, Moroccan-American artist Lalla Essaydi photographs a reclining woman draped in fabric and covered in intricate calligraphy, blurring the boundaries between body, textile, and text. The Arabic script, written by Essaydi herself, transforms the figure and her surroundings into a unified surface that challenges traditional representations of Muslim women in Orientalist painting. The work confronts the male gaze and reclaims agency by allowing women to author their own narratives through the act of writing.