Grande Odalisque #2 2008

Lalla Essaydi’s photograph "Grande Odalisque #2" wraps us in layers of meaning. It's an image where the process feels inscribed right on the surface. Everything, from the walls to the model, is covered in Arabic calligraphy. The text is not just decoration, it's a skin, a second layer of identity. Look closely, and you'll see the ink isn't black; it's henna, traditionally used for body art. The surface is so active, so dense with marks. This challenges us to look beyond the immediate sensuality of the pose and to consider the complex ways women are seen and unseen, decorated and defined. It reminds me of Miriam Schapiro and the feminist artists who embraced decoration, questioning what we value and who gets to decide. Like those artists, Essaydi uses repetition and pattern to invite a more thoughtful seeing, a way of understanding that embraces ambiguity rather than settling for easy answers.