Tolteesh series, 2019

Tolteesh series, 2019, Sizes Variable, Embroidery on Fabric.

Tolteesh is an Arabic word used colloquially to describe a sexualised gendered term, typically used by a man as a public advance toward a woman in order to elicit a response.

This series takes lines I have had called out to me by men in public around Beirut. In Arabic, they present themselves as rather far-fetched, yet admittedly quite poetic. In response, women tend to smirk and walk on.

In a region of the world where overt sexuality appears to be taboo and conflicted, these enticements are still deemed offensive, yet socially accepted.

I am curious about the language used in these terms, and what is lost when they are translated from Arabic to English. By translating them to English, I create a shift in the power dynamics behind the phrases. With the loss in translation they are rendered absurd and nonsensical, yet still retain their humour. By creating an altogether different dynamic of exchange, a transfer of power occurs, whereby I seize control of the language and reflect the light of awkward humour and humiliation back.

These pieces are all hand embroidered and embellished, alluding to the feminine, where the durational act of craft draws on the intimate and personal.