Description:

The unseen tangles, 2025, mixed media

The unseen tangles explores the unravelling struggles of Muslim women wearing the hijab have faced and continue to face.

Amina has worn the hijab since she was 5 years old and has recently started reflecting on her journey – from the various styles embraced over the years to the struggles of wearing the hijab in a post-9/11 world.

The hijab style portrayed in this piece is the same one Amina wore during middle and upper school. She recalls a shift in her relationship with the hijab during that time:

“In middle school, wearing the hijab made me feel different and somewhat unattractive compared to my friends who didn’t wear it. As a result, I often felt the need to overcompensate with my personality. This sense of difference became more real when I experienced Islamophobia for the first time. It happened one day as I was catching the bus home from upper school with my violin. As I stepped onto the bus, the driver asked if there was a bomb in my violin case. I laughed it off at first, but once I sat down, the gravity of what he had said, why he said it and what it meant really hit me.”

The hijab is a symbol of faith, but under the Western gaze it stands out as a visual reminder of deep-seated prejudice, pervasive stereotypes, and a misinterpretation of cultural and religious identity – resulting in discrimination and marginalisation.

The unseen tangles is a deeply personal piece and marks the beginning of a more expansive body of work.

Size:

H 40cm x W 20cm x D 17cm

Medium(s):

fabric, beads, thread, wig head

Price:

NFS (commission for Loughborough university)