Grande Odalisque #2 2008

Lalla Essaydi made this photograph, Grande Odalisque #2, probably in a studio in Morrocco. Look at the layering of script on the figure and the walls; they create a field of marks. I imagine Essaydi might have considered how the act of writing over a surface is not unlike the act of painting. Both are embodied forms of expression, yet each has their own unique qualities. Look at the woman’s feet: stained with henna, a dark, earthy pigment. This image explores the tradition of the Odalisque in painting and the history of Orientalism. Essaydi seems to ask, how can you reclaim these traditions? How can painting be reconfigured to express her own perspective? She’s in conversation with painters like Delacroix and Ingres, and with contemporary artists like Shirin Neshat, who explore themes of gender, identity, and cultural representation. I’m always inspired to see artists like Essaydi build on those conversations.