Her Render 2003

6 T H    S H A R J A H   I N T E R N A T I O N A L  B I E N N I A L

Sharjah Art Museum, United Arab Emirates, 2003

Director: Hoor Al-Qasimi

Curator: Peter Lewis

salt, sodium silicate, nylon, film projection

Her render: she gives back naturally what is true in her nature, was installed in the midst of war in Iraq, in the times of global conflict. It consisted of two-hundred “eggs” cast in salt—one of the basic minerals produced by the earth, and a film projection of running water.

A critical component of the installation was the collaboration between Nagasawa and the Muslim women. Rock salt was wrapped in women’s undergarment (nylon stockings), and cast in plaster molds.  One-hundred eggs taken out of the nylon were considered “male” eggs. Additional one-hundred eggs remained wrapped in nylon were considered “female” eggs and contained “secrets” and critical issues, pertaining to women; these issues were socio-political and personal matters, which Muslim women are not generally comfortable discussing in public.  During the collaborative process, a group of young Muslim women wrote their inner thoughts directly on the “female” eggs in Arabic text. The goal was to bring forward certain truth about women, which traditional Islamic society does not normally allow expression of. The objective was to enhance the dignity of women by facilitating the expression of matters important to them, and to bring individual’s life issues into the work.

A film by Anima G. Kamei projected a water fall on the wall and extended to the landscape of salt created on the floor. At the end, the running water gradually formed into a sphere, rising and vanishing into the sky like a moon, evoking a sense of freedom.  Many women reported that the collaboration process inspired meaningful change, and provided a sense of empowerment and transformation in their lives. The installation does not impose any particular interpretation of the issues it makes manifest; it simply asks the viewer, from whatever social, religious, or political background, to be open to new possibilities of awareness about the inner concerns of women.