I Dream in Color
“The Color of my Dream”series portrays the bridal gown as it has always held great symbolism and importance in every culture. The Western world mostly follows the trend setting example of Queen Victoria who appeared in a white dress in her 1840 wedding portrait. Since then, much symbolism has been falsely attributed to this color including the myth that is refers to virginity. Other cultures in the East celebrate the bride in red, which symbolizes joy and luck; while others choose green to bring growth or symbolize the henna leaf; or yellow to ward off the evil eye. Spanish brides traditionally wore black to represent lifelong devotion, while medieval women in Europe got married in blue, the symbol for purity; or gold, to inspire wealth
Whatever the color of the bridal gown though, every bride has the same hope and dream of lifelong happiness: A simple yet rarely attainable wish. I say let’s start to each make these dreams closer to reality by being kinder, more accepting and less judgemental of those starting a life of their choice- no matter what color it happens to be in.
122cmx61cm- acrylic paint and fabric on canvas
April 2022
The bridal gown has always held great symbolism and importance in every culture.
The Western world mostly follows the trend setting example of Queen Victoria who appeared in a white dress in her 1840 wedding portrait.
Other cultures in the East celebrate the bride in red, which symbolizes joy and luck; while others choose green to bring growth, or yellow to ward off the evil eye. Spanish brides traditionally wore black to represent lifelong devotion, while medieval women in Europe got married in blue, the symbol for purity; or gold, to inspire wealth.
Whatever the color of the bridal gown though, every bride has the same hope and dream of lifelong happiness.
A simple yet rarely attainable wish. I say let’s start to each make these dreams closer to reality by being kinder, more accepting and less judgmental of those starting a life of their choice- no matter what color it happens to be in.
White Dreams
122cmx61cm- acrylic paint, pastel, beads and fabric on canvas - July 2022
Fear and anger over diverging beliefs -everywhere we turn- are keeping us from existing peacefully and safely.
However discouraging things are, I always find solace in my studio…where I can tell stories that are more hopeful. As I look back on the realities that slice through our human race, I choose to remember that love can (and will!) always sprout in the unlikeliest places to challenge difference, to counter prejudice and to generate change. I choose to believe in the potential of a better world. I look back at an entire history of knowledge born out of pain and I dream of the day when the space between us will be filled with kindness.
Gold Dreams
122cmx61cm- acrylic paint, beads and fabric on canvas - July 2022
We often see people referred to as African interchangeably with their nationality, ignoring the fact that there are 54 individual African nations with over 1000 different languages spoken among over 800 million people. A treasure of cultural wealth is reduced to a monochromatic representation when people are bundled together as “African”. This is a result of the way in which slavery violently erased individuality and origin, and also a remnant of the colonial disregard for entire cultures of people systematically diminished to mere sources of power and wealth. While slavery kidnapped people and stripped them of their freedom along with their personal histories, colonialism pillaged entire cultures - transporting their religious and artistic treasures out of Africa to become part of their own institutions.
Part of safekeeping history is daring to acknowledge injustice and doing what is necessary to fix it. Those with the power to do so will keep trying to wash these stains out of their own stories while also whitewashing the truth. Our responsibility as creators lies in continuing to write, to sing, to paint this reality into our collective memory.
I hope we keep giving each other the permission to speak, and also to listen.
Coral Dreams
122cmx61cm- acrylic paint, oil paint, beads and fabric on canvas - August 2022
Chinese weddings are elaborate events that are as much about the bride and groom as their respective families. Both the intimate tea ceremony and the large banquet afterwards are seeped in an ancient tradition of rituals that vary according to region, ethnicity or religion. The Chinese bride typically wears a red dress adorned with gold; red as a symbol for good luck and gold for wealth. Several cultural and spiritual factors are considered to set an auspicious date for the wedding, and the gifts exchanged by both families are carefully selected to represent fertility, prosperity, and good fortune.
With the rise of Western exceptionalism for the past 200 years, it seems that Western society has slowly dismissed other cultural norms as backward in favor of a more practical, more individual mythos to insure economic and political success. There is an assumption there that there is only one way - the Western way- to civilized society, and whoever wants to reach it has to join that path.
I dream of a world where otherness is celebrated as an alternative that adds value, not risk; where we don’t miss opportunities because we have already judged them before understanding them.
I dream in color, not in black and white.
Scarlet Dreams
122cmx61cm- Acrylic Paint, Beads and Fabric on canvas - August 2022
Emirati weddings were traditionally celebrated over a week. Today, most brides have reduced it to three days: The Marriage Contract Night, the Henna Night, and the Wedding Night. The Henna Night dress is green (the color of the henna plant) or red (the color of the henna dye).
The use of Henna on the skin dates back thousands of years. Henna was discovered on Egyptian mummies and Cleopatra embellished her skin with it. Since the henna plant grows in hot climates, applying it (ground with water) to the skin as a cooling agent was prevalent in South Eastern and Western Asia and in Africa. When people noticed the stain it left on their skin, the idea to turn it into a decorative pattern emerged. Designs followed individual visual cultures, some simple and others more intricate. beautifully detailed Mehndi (Hindi for henna art) design from India is the most widely used today. Special “Arabic Mehndi” developed by altering the patterns to exclude all references to Hindu religious symbols.
But what, you might think, of cultural appropriation?
If cultural appropriation is understood as a sensitivity to the adoption of cultural elements after a history of colonization, injustice and economic exploitation, it needs to be distinct from globalization as the convergence of traditions.
The way I understand it is this: A cultural exchange based on mutual respect is different from the haphazard use of another people’s culture without proper knowledge of that culture, especially if the offending party has a history of oppression towards that culture.
Emerald Dreams
122cmx61cm- Acrylic Paint, Oil Paint, Beads and Fabric on canvas - August 2022