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Lalla Essaydi — Les Femmes du Maroc #35
Lalla Essaydi

Les Femmes du Maroc #35

A Moroccan woman reclines in a richly decorated interior, her body and surroundings covered in intricate Arabic calligraphy rendered in henna. Essaydi layers traditional Islamic text over textiles, skin, and architecture, collapsing boundaries between the figure and her environment. The work challenges Western Orientalist depictions of Arab women by reclaiming the female body as a site of cultural expression and self-authorship.

Medium
chromogenic print

🔨 Auction Lot

Contemporary Art Day Sale

June 30, 2015

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About this work

Lalla Essaydi, Les Femmes du Maroc #35

A Moroccan woman reclines in a richly decorated interior, her body and surroundings covered in intricate Arabic calligraphy rendered in henna. Essaydi layers traditional Islamic text over textiles, skin, and architecture, collapsing boundaries between the figure and her environment. The work challenges Western Orientalist depictions of Arab women by reclaiming the female body as a site of cultural expression and self-authorship.

Medium
chromogenic print
Seen at
Phillips, New York, London, Hong Kong

Related themes

Orientalism Critique, Post-Colonial Critique, Warm Earth Tones, Muted Earth Tones, Contemplative Mood, Orientalism Subverted, Moroccan Artist, Contemporary Photography, Intimate Mood, Chromogenic Print, Figurative Art, Calligraphy Overlay, Postcolonial Art, Harem Imagery, Islamic Calligraphy, Female Artist, North African Subject Matter

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