In 1936, a new legislation known as a Kashf-e Hijab made the wearing of European clothes mandatory. Women suddenly found themselves in the centre of legislated observations for pleasure. The unveiling was supposed to give them more freedom, although in such a patriarchal society they had always lived dual lives. In this series, I explored the complexity of being woman, through reflecting the gaze, and deconstruct visual pleasure. They were already the subject of visual pleasure, and their gaze for me revealed something in contrast with pleasure.
The change came with several repercussions. Firstly, women suddenly found themselves at the centre of observation for pleasure. Furthermore, the ‘unveil- ing’ was supposed to give them more freedom. However, in such a patriarchal society, they had always lived dual lives. In this series, I examined this contra- diction. For example, evidence of the contrast between their private lives and the version of their lives shown in the photographs.
