The Veil and its Representation in the Work of Three Contemporary Women Artists of the Middle East

Abstract

This study is focused on investigating the notion of veiling in Islamic culture and how it is connected to women. The suggested contextualising will extend to examining the prescriptive veil in Saudi Arabia and Iran to further theorise the political and social impacts arising from the practice of veiling. Drawing on some selected sources within Orientalism and ranging from the colonial era up to contemporary times, the study demonstrates how the veil became an icon. It also explains how veiling became the framework in which the woman’s image is represented.

The different approaches used by female artists discussed in this study highlight the complexity of the veil as a signifier in contemporary art. Discussions on the artwork illustrate how artists’ definitions of the veil are not consistent with the conservative society in which they live. The artists used the veil to signify multi-layered messages that questioned women’s identity in the light of the social and political perceptions of what a woman should be. Despite the artists’ involvement in that dialogue, their criticisms remained far from provocative or transgressive. Ultimately, the study offers a framework that allows an objective visual interpretation of the veil as a signifier by contextualising its representation in contemporary art within its original culture.