Hend Al Mansour
My work examines the gender and class hierarchies in Arab culture where I grew up. I am intrigued by women's domestic spaces and the clandestine communities that thrive there. Moving to the US made me conscious of a new identity. I now belong to a marginalized minority which made me turn back to my heritage. I draw on Islamic art and architecture to portray social practices in my former home.
My work unfolds across screen-printing, drawing, sculpture, and installation. My palette plays with vibrant reds, yellows, and hot pinks that alternate with majestic gold, purple, and blue. I draw stylized human figures within Islamic patterns and traditional women’s art practices patterns I grew up with. Questioning aesthetic rules opens up ways to question social ones.