Hijabs and Hoodies - 9

My work is a cross between fine art and documentary photography that challenge existing stereotypes of the “other.”
Through my works, I explore notions of identity, oppression, and expression of marginalized communities with a
particular interest in societal perceptions and the treatment of Black and Brown people.

In collaboration with Studio Revolt, I am working to bring Hijabs & Hoodies, my on-going portrait series to cities
that have a history of racial profiling, hate crimes, and violence targeted towards the POC and Muslim communities.
I see the Hijabs & Hoodies series as a community action initiative in which portrait participants become active
collaborators in an “open studio” process. This is not just a large-scale portrait project but rather a deeper
investigation into narratives and the power to reclaim those narratives. During every single one of my portrait
sessions, I exchange stories and engage in active conversations to find out more about each person and the stories
behind every single face I capture.

Artmaking is a collaborative process and every participant becomes a critical collaborator offering their stories,
opinions, tears, family histories and ultimately their faces to my project. I haven’t figured out yet what to do with the
verbal stories and narratives told to me but I believe that the essence is often captured in my portraits. My black and
white portraits are exhibited as giant murals– enormous faces with an unavoidable sense of visibility and presence. I
want viewers to encounter faces and fabrics that draw a range of reactions-depending on who views them. The
larger-than life portraits demand the viewer’s gaze and attention. I’ve made the aesthetic choice to work primarily in
black and white because I believe that stripping my work of color allows me to focus more keenly on each
participant’s humanity and dignity.

My goal is to keep traveling with this portrait initiative so as to counter violence with more images of real people
standing strong, standing in solidarity with one another, and resisting these dangerous stereotypes –ultimately
exhibiting these large scale faces to reclaim the gaze and subvert violence. My goal is to humanize people impacted
by a broken system that continues to disenfranchise and disembody Black and Brown people. Racial profiling and
state sanctioned violence against Black and Brown bodies have always existed in America, but recently these
brutalities have been made even more visible through widely shared digital recordings and a political climate that
has normalized the actions and behaviors of White Supremacy. My Hijabs & Hoodies portrait series is rooted in love
and solidarity as well as an attempt to subvert and reclaim the very gaze that have made these garments and
ultimately these communities “threatening.”