1999
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Dominant colour
Untitled is a 1999 by Susan Hefuna, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
These are delicate drawings by Susan Hefuna from 1999. They mimic mashrabiyas, the carved wooden screens common in Arab homes. The screens let women peek out while hiding them from view. Hefuna layers two sheets of paper. The bottom sheet is blurred, like a veil. The top sheet shows a clear pattern. Together they ask: who can see whom, and where? The mashrabiya idea comes from traditional architecture. Check out Hefuna, Susan next.
The artwork consists of two overlapping ink drawings on Japanese paper, mounted on a larger card, depicting geometric patterns inspired by mashrabiya screens. The upper layer features a clear rectangular design of small rectangles arranged in upright columns with an open central space, while the blurred underlayer reveals a faint, veiled form resembling a vase-like shape with triangular divisions. The drawing is executed by hand with a brush and signed by the artist in 1999. The composition reflects themes of gendered space and visibility, drawing from the traditional function of mashrabiya…
Read the full account in the museum source.
Susan Hefuna (Arabic: سوزان حفونه) is a German-Egyptian visual artist. She works in a variety of media, including drawing, photography, sculpture, installation, video and performance. She lives and works between Cairo, Egypt and Germany.
See the richer artist pageYour cart is empty
Explore artworks →
