Harem #13 2009

Lalla Essaydi made this photograph, Harem #13, staging models against a background of complex geometric tile-work. The tilework has an incredible repeating pattern. It’s as though the room itself is a painting. I can imagine Essaydi composing this tableau. The models are wearing robes with matching geometric patterns, which mirror the environment that surrounds them. Maybe she’s thinking about identity, tradition, and space? The tilework creates a sense of confinement. There's no horizon line, just walls covered in a mosaic of blue, yellow, and white designs. The geometry gives a sense of flatness, like a stage set. What’s real and what’s constructed? I think of Matisse and his odalisques. Essaydi seems to be in conversation with painting and photography, questioning representation itself. The image is staged, carefully composed, and rich with cultural references. These references speak to a long history of artists representing the female form.