Original artwork description:

This portrait of my sister, Randa, is a deeply personal exploration of identity, resilience, and the quiet strength that exists within the everyday. Her gaze is both direct and introspective, inviting contemplation on the narratives we carry and the spaces we inhabit.

As with much of my practice, the choice of surface is integral to the work’s meaning. The pages from A Philosophy for a Modern Man (1938) serve as both a conceptual and material foundation, framing the portrait within a historical discourse on progress, struggle and societal transformation. By embedding Randa’s likeness into these texts, I seek to challenge the authority of the written word - historically shaped by voices that often exclude people like us - and reclaim a space for our own histories.

Ballpoint pen, an everyday and often overlooked medium, mirrors this intent. The intricate mark-making allows for a depth of tone that stands in contrast to the ephemerality of the collaged paper, reinforcing the tension between permanence and impermanence, past and present. This piece is not just a portrait of my sister; it is a reflection on how identity persists and evolves within the layers of history, memory, and cultural discourse.

Ballpoint pen on collaged text, 2025, 594 X 420mm

Materials used:

ballpoint pen on antique text