Welcome and entertain them all

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Artist: Roya Amigh

Title: Welcome and entertain them all

Attribution: Welcome and entertain them all, 2019, Roya Amigh

Year: 2019

Materials: paper, thread, lace, and pieces of cloth

Dimensions: 56 x 41 x 18 inches

Image Statement: Liberation of female sexuality in the three pieces, “Welcome and entertain them all” is partly informed by my study of the story of “Yusuf" [Jospeh] (the 12th chapter of the Quran) from a gender and sexuality perspective. I started this work by recreating some parts of several Persian miniatures, creating drawings that consisted of lines made by gluing and composing threads on paper. Specifically, I locate the recreated imagery of the miniature “Zulaykha and Yusuf”, by Kamal al-Din Behzad (1488), in the middle of the piece. Behzad is inspired by Jami’s poem, in which Zulaykha and Yusuf are both looking for true mystical love. Feminine guile is at the core of the story in this poem. I examine the representation of female sexuality and gender-centered storytelling in this work by recreating Zulaykha and Yusuf’s imagery. I juxtapose it with the other myths centered around female power such as Pari and Ghulah. Then, I create the stitched fragments so that they are shaping a vagina structure.