WOMEN in art

Life imitates art as we see more women expressing themselves through their craft. Here we shine a light on three artists who challenge the status quo and make people feel, think and reflect

- THOBEKA PHANYEKO

Aneesah Girie 
ANEESAH_GIRIE 

Johannesburg based artist, Aneesah explores ideas around materiality to address misconceptions about the lived experiences of Muslim women in her community. Her manipulated hijab material considers the representation of gendered Muslim personhood and domesticity. Re-presenting the hijab or Muslim veil, she transforms worn scarves passed down through her family. She recasts soft, feminine, fragile hijabs into hardened, reflective, glass-like, sculptural forms. This work reiterates there is much more to being Muslim than wearing a hijab, and Girie wants to counter representations that are regressive and reductive. Extending this theme, Girie's immersive research on gendered spaces, like the kitchen and the dining room, leads her to play with cutlery and crockery to reframe ideas around servitude and the sacredness of women's spaces.

Her list of accolades includes a BAFA from the University of Witwatersrand, the Wits Young Artist Award in 2021, and participating in RMB's Talent Unlocked programme. In 2022, she exhibited in Unearthed at Turbine Art Fair and was selected to participate in JP Morgan's Abadali Art Collection Project. She also took part in Fresh Voices, the annual new talent exhibition by Guns & Rain.

Kimathi Mafafo
KIMATHIMAFAFO