WUNRN
THE VEIL - ARTISTIC EXPRESSIONS
- OUTSIDE IN, INSIDE OUT
To
many in the Western world, the wearing of the hijab, or veil, by Muslim women
is a mysterious and controversial tradition. Artist Georgina Choueiri--born
into the Lebanese Civil War and raised in
In her series of luminous
paintings and murals titled, The Veil, Choueiri explores the view from
inside out and outside in.
Veils Mural, Acrylic, Spray Paint, and Fabric, 7x4m, 2006
Blue Veils 1, Acrylic & Spray Paint on Canvas, 70x120cm, 2004
Detail, Veils Mural
"Having
grown in an Arab Christian background and having lived half my life in a
Western culture, the veil was a curtain between our worlds," writes artist
Georgina Choueiri. "I couldn't understand why these women had to cover
themselves, only allowing others the sight of their deep dark eyes. Why was it
forbidden for a woman to reveal herself to the outside world? Why did she have
to be hidden away like some fragile bird in a golden cage?"
Between 1999 and 2001, Georgina
traveled across North Africa and the Middle East to
On her return home, Georgina, who
studied art in
Now living in
How did you come to be an
artist? What subjects are you most drawn to?
I was having many existential
questions and felt a need to paint it all out. Six years ago, I left my life
and job in
Having grown up in a Christian household, why did you feel the hijab
was an important subject for you to explore?
It was important
for me to challenge my own perception and break the stereotypes associated with
the veil. It made me reconsider the barriers -- not only physical, but
religious, social, political and psychological -- around this piece of cloth.
You interviewed women in
Having the chance to interview
many women who wore the veil was important in order to learn their side of the
story. I found out that some found it gave them more respect and freedom, for
example, from being looked upon as a sex symbol, which in their opinion was an
issue many women face in Western culture.
Has this project changed your views on the veil as a religious and
political symbol?
I think it should be the woman's
right to choose whether or not to wear the hijab, and not something imposed on
her by religious laws interpreted by men - nowhere in the Quran does it say
that a woman must wear a hijab and the little that is mentioned on the matter
is subject to interpretation. That becomes an extension of many other issues
around the rights of Arab women.
Why do you think painting is such an effective way to explore and
express the complexities of this issue?
Words can be quite limiting in
trying to convey certain emotions or impressions. When it comes to The Veil,
the entire process was a reflection around the theme, I wasn't trying to say
something specific as much as I felt a need to explore the subject. Art gives
me the freedom to do that, without the weight that words can carry.
You exhibited in a group mural show at La Santa in
In