Harem #2 2009

Lalla Essaydi created 'Harem #2', and it’s a photograph that just pulls you right in. The model is swathed in patterns. It's blue and cool, but the patterns evoke something warmer, more ancient, more intricate. I imagine Essaydi, camera in hand, thinking about all the orientalist paintings of the past. The pose of the model might recall Ingres, but here, the woman isn't an object to be looked at. She’s a person, and she seems to be staring right back at us. The writing on the skin and the fabric adds another layer. It makes me think about hidden stories, voices that are often unseen or unheard. It's like a conversation between the past and the present, between the artist and the viewer. Essaydi's work speaks to the art of people like Shirin Neshat, artists who are dealing with issues of identity. It reminds us that artists are always in conversation with each other, building on what came before while pushing towards something new.