Katonah Museum of Art, New York. 2020

“An-Nisaa 1: The Women” celebrates the vital and significant role of women, referencing a verse in the Quran that highlights the elevated ranks of women and promoting peaceful coexistence with one’s neighbors, humanity and the environment. “O mankind! Be careful of your duty to your Lord, who created you from a single soul and from it created its mate and from them twain hath spread abroad a multitude of men and WOMEN. Be careful of your duty toward Allah in Whom ye claim (your rights) of one another, and toward the WOMBS (WOMEN). Lo! Allah hath been a watcher over you.”

The site-specific installation predominantly consists of African wax, Kente, Batik and Tie and dye fabrics scraps, collected from seamstresses across Africa, the Caribbean, and the United States. Symbolically, it represents groups of women from diverse communities. The piece was created collaboratively with visiting families at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan NY. Through interactive processes that demonstrate a commitment to community, self-love and appreciation, and cultural and historical references. At the Katonah Museum of Art, Visitors are invited to add to the installation and enjoy a variety of hands-on activities that explore Family, fabrics, memories and portraiture. Whilst the collaboration creates a sanctuary space that celebrates unity in diversity, amplifying a community and self-love atmosphere where aliens become neighbors, and neighbors become family. There is a universal undertone to the installation, through the collected fabrics and portraits and communal process that highlights the commonalities of humanity and our shared experiences, as highlighted in the above Quran verse.

Photo Credit: Margaret Fox Photography