Saskia Aukema

Saskia Aukema
Veiled, 2016

Saskia Aukema created a series of photographs around one of the most controversial garments in the Western world: the niqab. The niqab is a veil that covers the entire face, except for the eyes. Several countries have introduced laws that ban the garment. The Dutch government is currently devising a law that will ban the niqab in certain sections of the Dutch society. This made Aukema wonder: who are the women who choose to wear this piece of cloth, despite all the controversy? What about it do they enjoy? She also asked questions that dig a little deeper into the personalities of these women, for example by asking them what beauty means to them.

She decided to portray them, not as the “black boxes” many people see them as, but as colourful individuals, showcasing the garments they prefer to wear at home with their families or at a party among other women. The photos were taken in 2,5 years time in Great Britain (where many niqabi women live) and the Netherlands.

The images from the series Veiled are remarkable, because they show us the women in their own homes wearing their niqab, holding their favorite dresses, shoes and pants. Our natural curiosity to see the person beneath the niqab is met with total openness. But not the kind we think we need. We still do not see a face, but are shown each personality through a piece of fabric we all so closely attach our individuality to.

Saskia Aukema (1975, NL) graduated from the Fotovakschool in Amsterdam in 2013.
www.zazquia.nl