Roadworks 1985

"Roadworks" (1985), by Mona Hatoum, is a black and white photograph that depicts a person's bare foot tied with a cord to a heavy combat boot. The person's bare foot is visible, along with the boot, but the rest of their body is cropped out of the frame, leaving the viewer to imagine the situation and the relationship between the person and the boot. This work, created by a prominent Lebanese-British artist, explores themes of vulnerability, constraint, and power dynamics, which are common in Hatoum's artistic practice.