versaria:

“Suspended Together” by Manal Al Dowayan

At first glance, it appears to be a flock of doves, fluttering in the air. Looking more closely, though, a sharp bit of social and political criticism appears. Upon each dove is the document Saudi women are required to have in order to travel. The travel document carries the permission of the woman’s male guardian – husband, father, uncle, perhaps even teen-aged son. The artist was able to solicit the documents from Saudi women with prestigious positions within society: doctors, engineers, teachers, and so on. Even the most capable of Saudi women, responsibly spreading their wings, are bound. They are as much fixed in place as the doves statically suspended in the air. Brava, Manal Al Dowayan! [x]