Masked Faces: Untold Stories from the Arabian-Persian Gulf
2018-07-16 00:00 - 2018-07-17 23:59 | Institute of Arabic and Islamic Studies
Manami Goto, a PhD student at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, presents this new exhibition for Summer 2018. The female face mask, regionally known as burquÊ¿ or baá¹Å«la, is a part of the traditional but disappearing material culture of the Arabian-Persian Gulf. Each face mask is handmade to fit the wearerâ€™s face and conveys an intricate amount of socio-cultural detail about the wearer. The shape, colour, material, design, and embroidery are selected depending on the wearerâ€™s age, origin, marital status, ethnicity, religious or tribal affiliation, number of children, and socio-economic status. Wearing the face mask is also strongly associated with honour, piety, and pride. Through the presentation of material collections and photographs of masked women, this exhibition intends to shed light on the women in the region and their intimate and unique relationship with their masks.
