Harem #36 2013

Lalla Essaydi created Harem #36 as a photograph—but it's so painterly that it feels like it’s been built through many layers and gestures. The women sit among rich textiles, the scene steeped in patterned golds and reds. What might Essaydi have been thinking when she made it? I imagine she started by selecting the location and carefully placing the models and props in the room. Look at the details! There is a white dove, and a slipper on the floor, which brings such a feeling of intimacy and everyday life. And look at the writing which covers the women's skin! I can see that Essaydi is playing with the history of orientalist painting, as well as her own experience growing up as a woman in Morocco. The history of painting runs through Essaydi’s practice. She’s in conversation with artists who came before her, transforming their ideas and approaches with her own history and knowledge, and her own way of seeing the world. She encourages us to question and to consider the depth of ambiguity that art can hold.