Making the Invisible Visible
Rada Akbar :
Making the Invisible Visible
By Stephanie Seguino
In her 2013 photographic series , Invisible Captivity , depicting women in burqas , Afghani artist Rada Akbar draws attention to the religious and cultural forces that shape women ’ s lives . The images consist primarily of black and white portraits or sculptures of women whose bodies are inscribed with passages from the Quran . They are bold , and deeply evocative .
Akbar was born in Juzjan , a northern province in Afghanistan , in 1988 . She moved to Pakistan with her family to escape the Taliban regime and later returned to her homeland in 2002 , where she is now based in Kabul .
Just prior to interviewing Akbar in late October , I had returned from a trip to Cairo . While there , I found myself uneasy at the sight women wearing the burqa or niqab . I saw them as disenfranchised , disempowered women , not autonomous human beings . And yet , women in Egypt , by comparison to the Gulf States , face less pressure to veil . However , those who choose to wear the burqa or niqab were not allowed to vote in the October elections and at least one university banned its lecturers from wearing the garment .
Because the interview with Akbar was imminent , I wrestled all the more with my very strong reactions . Seeing women in burqas makes me simultaneously afraid and angry . Afraid because the burqa that shields the eyes makes human connection impossible . Angry because the burqa has the air of a movable prison , of solitary confinement .
If this indeed is a prison , then who imprisoned the woman ? Does she imprison herself ? Is the wearing of a burqa voluntary or the result of social pressure ? Is it forced on her ? Has she adapted so much so that in the end , she feels as though it is a choice ?
I come to those perceptions of the burqa as a Westerner who has spent the last 20 years working to promote and advance gender equality via my work as an economist and artist . And I grew up in a patriarchal Italian family , which sensitized me to the oppression women experience in traditional families . Still , I am acutely aware of the dangers of women in Western countries drawing conclusions about the lives of women in other countries .
With Akbar ’ s work , I approached our conversation and her photographs with the desire to let go of my own stereotypes so as to understand her own feelings about the burqa . What surprised me and led me to feel solidarity were Akbar ’ s own words .
“ The burqa seems like a cage to me , which keeps a woman imprisoned . I do not believe there is any positive aspect of the burqa . . . it is against humans ’ rights and women ’ s rights ,” she says .
Akbar ’ s images of women in burqas are at once powerful and disquieting . In The Veil , one of the few color images in this series , a headshot of a woman in a black niqab with brightly colored brassieres hanging above her head looks intently into the eyes of the viewer . We know her look is intent because there is no netting over the eyes , although it is difficult for the viewer to discern what the eyes reveal .
Invisible Captivity . © Rada Akbar , 2013 . Courtesy of the artist .
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