Self-Portrait as a Pomegrante
4K video, sound, color, 00:07:29 min - 2017





















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The work addresses topics of struggle of equality and non-representation of females within the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is an intimate look at how femininity and sexuality is dealt in the Kingdom.

Masculine hegemony is apparent not only socially but also politically. This hierarchy of power is constantly highlighted and questioned through western media, forming its own narratives. I am interested in confronting this western gaze with my own experience as a Saudi, through the construction of a staged reality.

Written by a Kuwaiti poet, Abdullah Hameed Alsaeed, the song recited within the work is an ode to a female lover that is upset. The song, “O Pomegranate”, gained its popularity within the Arab world in the early 60s. Actors, artists and musicians have been making different renditions of the song ever since its debut and its popularity has allowed it to sustain its presence within Arab popular culture.

Link to original song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzNx9_s4ZAQ