Join the Fairfield University Art Museum (FUAM) on Thursday, January 28 at 6 p.m. for the opening night lecture of By Design: Theater and Fashion in the Photography of Lalla Essaydi, presented by the exhibition curator Cynthia Becker, PhD, associate professor of the history of art and architecture at Boston University.
By Design: Theater and Fashion in the Photography of Lalla Essaydi explores the artistic process behind the creation of Essaydi’s carefully staged photographs, which deconstruct and reimagine stereotypes of Muslim womanhood. Guest Curator Cynthia Becker has selected approximately 20 works spanning Essaydi’s career for inclusion in this groundbreaking exhibition.
Dr. Becker noted, “This is the first time an exhibition has emphasized fashion and staging in Essaydi’s work ...[she] might spend months creating a single garment to be worn in one of her carefully crafted tableaus. She spends hours arranging her models and, in the process, recreates the familial bonds so important to Moroccan women’s lives.”
Morrocan-born and New York-based, Essaydi's life experiences have inspired her to create politically astute work that deconstructs and reimagines stereotypes of Muslim womanhood. Her time in Morocco exposed her to the nation’s rich history of architectural design and the ceremonial occasions so important to daily life, both of which are featured in her photographs. Essaydi also lived in Saudi Arabia for many years and studied painting and photography at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
Learn more about this exhibition, and companion events and lectures, on the museum's website.
