| Project title: Working Hands | |
| Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | |
| Date(s): 22 Feb – 5 March |
Artist Statement
I am a visual artist, specializing in abstract figurative paintings that capture the essence of the urban environment and human interactions within it. My work delves into specific visual moments, revealing the intricate interplay between light, nature, and the industrial backdrop that surrounds me. I’m interested in capturing social intersectionality and research around topics of social power dynamics, representation and feminism within the domestic realm.
Central to my practice is a commitment to storytelling and narrative representation. Through various mediums, including oil painting, portraiture, and mixed media, I strive to capture the complexities and nuances of individual experiences.
Ultimately, my goal as an artist is to create work that inspires dialogue, reflection, and action. By harnessing the power of art to amplify marginalized voices and catalyze social change, I hope to contribute to a more just, equitable, and compassionate world.
Contextual Statement
Project Description
“Working Hands” is a collection of oil paintings capturing housekeepers and cooks as individuals with caregiving roles based on interviews and discussions with these individuals. The outcome also included prints of the paintings that were distributed to the participants.
The housekeeper’s paintings were showcased in a local white cube space called “Takeeb,” accompanied by printed letters next to each painting, written in both English and Indonesian.
I also produced several booklets to provide insights into the rationale behind the artwork, the creative process, and the stories that inspired each piece.
Conversely, the cooks’ collection was exhibited at a local restaurant named “Fire Grill,” allowing workers, delivery personnel, cleaners, and other staff members to view the artwork during operating hours.
Methodology
Care
The project draws from Joan Toronto’s discussion of care, discussing its conceptual devaluation, underpayment, and disproportionate allocation to powerless individuals in society.
She explains that firstly, care work often takes place in private, invisible settings, making it easier to be overlooked and undervalued in comparison to work with visible outputs that can be easily quantified and linked to economic productivity.
Additionally, care work is inherently emotional and contingent upon the needs of others, in societies that prioritize public accomplishments, rationality, and autonomy.
Feminism
The project also depends on feminists’ concepts by Simone de Beauvoir and Sarah Ahmed.
In “The Second Sex”, de Beauvoir explores traditional gender roles, emphasizing how men are socially valued for their autonomy and roles as producers, while women are often relegated to reproductive and domestic duties.
(De Beauvoir, 1949).
In the book “Living a Feminist Life” Ahmed introduces “feminist killjoy”, a concept which reflects how feminism can lead to a sense of life alienation loneliness and estrangement by revealing the ways in which individuals are shaped by societal norms, an experience shared by participants during the interviews.
Use of portraiture:
Portraiture has been used throughout history to elevate subjects, show their importance, and communicate their stories.
“Only worthy, virtuous, or high-born individuals should be the subjects of portraits” (West, 2004).
portraiture can be a powerful tool for challenging social norms and elevating the status of care jobs and the people associated with them.
Context
Sociocultural Context
The project is situated within the sociocultural context of the Middle East, particularly Saudi Arabia, where it delves into power structures, social hierarchies, and the imperative to challenge prevalent stereotypes and biases. It sheds light on the link between the undervaluation of care and various factors such as gender bias, race, and class dynamics.
Drawing on insights from Joan Toronto, and concepts from “The Care Manifesto: The Politics of Compassion” by The Care Collective (2020), the project examines privilege and hegemony as the bases for the devaluation of care and care duties.
In societies where care is devalued, those in positions of power can avoid acknowledging the im- portance of care in their lives, thus perpetuating the unequal distribution of power, resources, and privilege without threat.
Artistic context
I have used the guidance of other artists that works focus on portraiture and social commentary. Two examples of artists who worked with cross-cultural collaborations Aliza Nisenbaum and Nicole Eisenman.
“Working Hands” seeks to elevate overlooked laborers through portraiture, Nisenbaum work also contain intimate portraits of marginalized communities, often depicting immigrants and domestic workers.
Her commitment to community engagement and collaboration in her practice inspired laborers as participants in the creation process and interviews.
Eisenman uses painting to express the complexity and diversity of human experiences.
My paintings use symbols from the stories of my participants to add vitality, emotion, and individuality to each painting.
The added letters personalized and humanized the paintings even further. Eisenman frequently incorporates narrative elements and symbolic imagery into her paintings, creating layered and multi-dimensional compositions.
Documentation
Completed Project
Exhibitions
Publication
