Liberty 2017

pays homage to Eugène Delacroix’s painting, Liberty Leading the People. Through emotion and intense colour, the artist aims to reincarnate the past to illuminate the present. She uses intense imagery to communicate a woman who achieves her ends irrespective of rank and status, conjuring feelings of ‘free will’ as an Arab woman.

In a progressive approach, the artist expresses her desire to show the Arab female identity in a disobedient manner by taking on the role of Marianne as the lead. She is seen holding up a cup of wine instead of a flag, with a bottle of wine in her other hand. This places the viewer in a position to question the artist: Is she a hedonist? Or is that the cup of salvation? and the wine a representation of the Blood of Christ? The audience is challenged to walk away from the stereotype of what it means to be an Arab woman.