DUBAI: The Saudi-based Dutch photographer discusses her image that is part of the latest ‘season’ of public artworks from UK-based platform The Gallery, which runs until August 12.
Aljohara Jeje, Performance. (Supplied)
I was born and raised in the Netherlands. When I was a teenager, my father asked me what I wanted to study and I, his only daughter, said “Art.” He almost choked on his food. He told me I should study something decent, so I studied product design. I also started to travel.
On trips, I wanted to take beautiful photographs — not just snapshots and souvenirs. What I like about photography, which is freeing, is the light, the technique, and the end product.
Art is communication. It is not limited to languages or national borders, it’s an international language. My photography always revolves around social issues and I would say that it normally engages deeply with history, culture, traditions and contemporary challenges.
This image comes from a series called “Performance,” which is about silencing women. What I have found common across the world is that, in general, we women are told not to speak our minds and express ourselves.
In the image, the pearl that you see between the woman’s lips is a symbol of a woman’s worth. Pearls are cultivated over time and they become treasures. They are shiny and beautiful. The worst part of silencing women is that you are taking away what makes them women.
With the veil, there is this idea of covering something. It has nothing to do with Islam (in this image) but, of course, it can give an association with Islam. If you look at the woman, her eyes are also covered. If you take away a woman’s ability to think and to talk, then all that is left is a performance. We are giving a performance, because that is not who we are.
It’s a very aesthetic image with very directed, dramatic lighting. I hope that when people see it, they stand still for a moment and start questioning it: Why can’t the woman talk? Why does she have the pearl? I also hope that people will find their own interpretation.
