Exotic bodies 2003

Drawing from her refined skills as a miniature painter, Aisha Khalid’s expressive and rigorous geometric arrangements play with surface and depth. Exotic bodies and Visible/invisible focus thematically on inequalities experienced in patriarchal societies, while challenging Western perceptions of the burqa as a symbol of repressed womanhood. Veiled figures, flower motifs, draped curtains and a limited palette appear in symmetrical arrangements drawn from Islamic geometry and textiles. In 2001, Khalid undertook a residency in the Netherlands that was interrupted by the 11 September terrorist attacks in the USA, which led to a rapid rise in anti-Islamic sentiment globally. At the same time, witnessing Amsterdam’s red-light district led her to question her own expectations of gender equality in the West. Dutch drapery, tulips and Delft-blue roses figure prominently in the works, framed within closed-off structures in response to the divisiveness of world events.