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Boushra Y. Almutawakel[1] (born 1969)[2] is a Yemeni photographer.[3] Her work concerns the international perception of Arabs and Muslims and focuses in particular on the international perception of issues of gender and representations of Muslim/Arab women and their clothing.[4][5][6]
Early and personal life
[edit]Almutawakel was born in 1969 in Sana'a, Yemen. After earning a degree in International Business at American University in Washington, DC, she returned back to Yemen in 1994 to continue her photographic work.[7]
In 1996, became a founder member of Al-Halaqa organization in Sana'a that established an art community where work could be displayed and discussed.[7]
In 1999, aside from developing her photographic work and being an educational adviser, Boushra Almutawakel was honored as the very first Yemeni female photographer by the Empirical Research and Women's Studies Centre at Sana'a University.[8]
Since 2013, she has moved to Paris and now lives in Neuilly with her husband and their four daughters.
Work and career
[edit]Almutawakel was living in the United States at the time of the September 11 attacks, which led her to focus on perceptions, both positive and negative, of Arabs and Muslims. She engaged specifically with the Egyptian writer Nawal El Saadawi's remark that "women who wore the hijab or niqab were the same as women who wore makeup in the sense that they all hid their true identities", and sought to interpret Saadawi's ideas through photography. Her "Mother, Daughter, Doll" (2010) series portray a progression from Western clothing to full hijab and explore perceptions of women in particular. It includes photographs of "Fulla" dolls, a toy similar to Barbie dolls marketed to Muslim children. Almutawakel's work also examines the ways Yemeni women have covered their bodies historically and in the present.[4] Discussing her focus on clothing and the niqab, Almutawakel has said "I want to be careful not to fuel the stereotypical, widespread negative images most commonly portrayed about the hijab/veil in the Western media. Especially the notion that most, or all women who wear the hijab/veil, are weak, oppressed, ignorant, and backwards".[5] Another project depicts women dressed in men's traditional clothing; Almutawakel explains "men's traditional clothing is very similar to women's clothing — long, loose, modest and often with a head-covering. The focus in Western media is always on the way women are dressed so I wanted to challenge this idea."[6]
She has worked as a photographer for the British Council, CARE, the Royal Netherlands Embassy, the French Cultural Centre, and the United Nations; and also worked for the Yemeni embassy in Washington, D.C. as a consultant on cultural affairs and for the Yemeni Ministry of Human Rights, focusing on women's issues.[1][9]
In 2018, she was listed as one of BBC's 100 Women. [10]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "The hijab / veil series". International Museum of Women. Archived from the original on 2015-04-13. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
- ^ "Boushra Almutawakel, Strata, 2008". School of Oriental and African Studies. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
- ^ Espinosa, Ángeles (4 January 2012). "La revolución ha inspirado a artistas. A mí me bloquea". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 June 2012.
- ^ a b Alviso-Marino, Anahi (October 2010). "Boushra Almutawakel". Nafas Art Magazine. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
- ^ a b Denis, Daphnee (29 November 2012). "Unveiling an Arab Woman's Experience With a Headscarf". Slate. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
- ^ a b "Challenging the norm". The Economist. 16 August 2012. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
- ^ a b "Boushra Almutawakel On The Power of Art". Haute Living. 2015-02-12. Retrieved 2019-02-19.
- ^ "Boushra Almutawakel | Artists | Collection | British Council − Visual Arts". visualarts.britishcouncil.org. Retrieved 2019-02-19.
- ^ Malik, khadijah. "Boushra Almutawakel: An Eye for Beneath and Beyond". Culture Trip. Retrieved 2019-02-19.
- ^ "BBC 100 Women 2018: Who is on the list?". BBC News. 2018-11-19. Retrieved 2018-11-21.