Revisited #1 2008

Lalla Essaydi created this photograph, Revisited #1, in a studio, with light and shadow. Imagine her setting the scene, arranging the figure, the fabric, and the calligraphy that seems to float around them. It's like she's painting with the camera, layering image upon image. The muted tones, mostly creams and golds, give it a dreamlike quality. The calligraphy, like a veil, suggests both concealment and revelation. It’s as if the woman is both present and absent, her identity intertwined with the words that surround her. The material quality of Essaydi’s images always gets me thinking about my own work. I feel like she is in conversation with artists like Shirin Neshat, artists who engage with cultural identity. All painters are in conversation, remixing and reimagining. We are always discovering new ways of seeing and expressing. We keep each other going, like a call and response. It is exciting.