Banksy and I
This work demonstrates how things can be perceived and appreciated differently when gender and race are added to the equation. The concealment of identity increases the value of Banksy’s work while it often hinders the career of a female artist. This work is based on a real experience lived by a Saudi female artist. A non-Saudi curator cancelled his offer to curate a solo-exhibition for her when he realized that she wears this form of veil in her country. He made it clear that he refuses to encourage such cultural practices. For him, it represents oppression and he could not believe that women have a choice when they decide to wear this dress. It is unfortunate that women’s choices in their personal lives are always questioned, and how it become central during the assessment of their professional work.
This forced Elgibreen at the beginning to try and see herself from a foreigner’s perspective so she produced the previous work (Do not judge me, just look at my work). It was an awkward moment when she realized how uncanny these conservative women look in a Western setting. Suddenly, she remembered that Banksy is also veiled, but his work has never been rejected for this particular reason. Thus, she produced a mirror image of herself and Banksy to confront the public with the real reason for their double standard. The discomfort which people feel when seeing these women is not because they cannot see their faces. It is simply because all the stereotypes that this cultural symbol can evoke. The veil discourage them from discovering the real identity of these women while it attracts them to Banksy’s.
This forced Elgibreen at the beginning to try and see herself from a foreigner’s perspective so she produced the previous work (Do not judge me, just look at my work). It was an awkward moment when she realized how uncanny these conservative women look in a Western setting. Suddenly, she remembered that Banksy is also veiled, but his work has never been rejected for this particular reason. Thus, she produced a mirror image of herself and Banksy to confront the public with the real reason for their double standard. The discomfort which people feel when seeing these women is not because they cannot see their faces. It is simply because all the stereotypes that this cultural symbol can evoke. The veil discourage them from discovering the real identity of these women while it attracts them to Banksy’s.