Typically cloistered within anonymous domestic spaces and clothed in traditional robes, the figures in the photographs by lallaessydi both enact and resist the constraints of both Islamic religious tradition and Western European stereotypes. Raised according to strict culture and religious conventions, her photographs reveal the hidden domestic spheres in which female family members were confined, while illuminated their thoughts and desire through the very personal writings inscribed on their bodies and clothing—written expressions they would have been denied. “In photographs women inscribed with henna, I emphasize their decorative role, but subvert the silence of confinement. These women speak visually to the house and to each other.” ⁠ ⁠ Pictured: Lalla Essaydi, Les Femmes du Maroc: Harem Women Writing, 2008, Chromogenic print ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ #lallaessaydi #contemporaryart #21cOff-Spring #21cmuseum #21cartist