While living abroad I had struggled fitting in with occidental societies. I was referred to as the Arab girl, suggesting that my origin is what shapes my identity. I sensed I was portrayed as that middle-eastern girl with odd religion-related traditions and a strict background. Unfortunately that is true, but it is not what I wish to be identified by.

In most of the Arab countries, women have restrictions of their freedom and rights, and this reflects on their independence and stability. Some of these restrictions are wrongfully based on religious beliefs, when they are cultural and emanate from tradition rather than religion.

In this enlarged real sized drawing of a woman, she is engulfed within a big cover resembling the Abaya, the traditional Muslim woman attire. The cover has several folds, each filled with miniature words written repeatedly over and over again. Each word represents one of the major social burdens and struggles of the Arab woman. The repetition represents the immensity of these burdens while the process of writing them in some way is like a punishment, thus this tiresome monotonous action had an unexpected cleansing effect on my body and mind.

The clash between Arab and western cultures is also represented in this artwork by layering the transparent drawing with flattened paper bags from Macdonald’s.

This overlap is evident and adds confusion and complexity to her world.