Growing up in an extremely conservative Islamic family, there were countless times when I heard the sentence “God is punishing our family because you draw cartoons” — This was always followed by my family “encouraging” me to draw Muslim-friendly art.
At first glance, this silkscreened print satisfies my family’s expectations as it appears to be an Arabesque pattern inspired by the geometric forms of Islamic Art, however, a closer look reveals that it is made out of the stuffed toys that define various stages of my life.
This picture stands to show that society can affect the surface of a person, but can never penetrate and manipulate one’s true being.