From documentary to conceptual work
Yumna Al-Arashi began her career as a self-taught documentary photographer, shooting for National Geographic , The New York Times , and The Guardian . However, she struggled with the power of image-makers like herself, who can (unintentionally) portray their subjects in a one-sided way. "Photography carries within itself a form of violence that is expressed in the words we use for it, think 'catch,' 'shoot,' 'take.'" As a result, her work became more political and conceptual.
Al-Arashi cherishes the women in her photographs: she portrays them as strong and resilient, emphasizing their beauty. She also exposes the structures underlying the prejudices and biases she has often experienced. However, the artist doesn't hide behind the camera, but appears herself, playful and combative, in conceptual self-portraits. In doing so, she sidelines the power dynamic between photographer and subject and acknowledges that her body is an essential part of the political conversation she seeks to spark.
The power of eroticism
A common thread in Yumna Al-Arashi's work is the female body. Al-Arashi resists society's urge to control it: "The female body is prescribed how it should move, how loud or quiet it should be, and how it should dress." A key source of inspiration for her is Audre Lorde's text "Uses of the Erotic. Erotic as Power" (1978), in which Lorde describes eroticism as a source of life energy, a force that, like the mythological Eros born from Chaos, represents intuition, creativity, and harmony. But, Lorde argues, this vitality is systematically suppressed in women.
In her self-portraits, Yumna Al-Arashi sometimes wears a hijab, sometimes she is completely naked. In this way, she confronts the viewer with the discomfort evoked by both Eastern mores and the idea of Western feminism. The former dictates that a woman should conceal her body, while the latter asserts that a woman is only liberated when she is sexually liberated. "Choosing how I look is my strongest form of resistance; overcoming shame repeatedly, a sport I have now mastered: that is my greatest political act."
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