Walladeh: A Woman Who Would Not Yield
This body of work explores the life, poetry, and cultural legacy of Walladeh Bint Al‑Mustakfi, the eleventh‑century Andalusian princess and poet whose bold voice shaped the literary world of medieval Cordoba. Born in 1001 as the daughter of a Caliph, Walladeh lived during a period of remarkable intellectual openness. She cast off the veil, hosted mixed‑gender literary salons, and recited poetry that was sensual, confident, and defiantly her own. Though only fragments of her verses survive, her influence endures as one of the most powerful female voices of the era.
Walladeh – 2004, screenprint with henna on wool, 30 × 40 in., edition 3.
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Her Days – 2012, digital print.
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Each print approaches Walladeh from a different angle. Walladeh (2004) draws on the visual language of Islamic ornament, embedding human figures—echoes of the Vitruvian Man—into a patterned field that links sexuality, beauty, and cultural aesthetics. Princess of Cordoba (2008) incorporates lines from the poetry she famously embroidered on her gown, celebrating her pride, sensuality, and literary brilliance. Her Days (2012), a variable silkscreen edition, revisits those same verses through shifting color and texture, reflecting the many facets of her self‑authored freedom. Together, these works honor Walladeh as a poet, a cultural force, and a woman who lived—and loved—on her own terms.
Princess of Cordoba – 2009, screenprint on dyed canvas, 28 × 20 in.
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Walladeh – 2004, screenprint with ink on dyed canvas, 30 × 40 in., edition 4.
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Her Days – 2012, screenprint on fabric, 27 × 21 in., from an edition of 49 (variable print).
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Her Days – 2012, screenprint on fabric, 27 × 21 in., from an edition of 49 (variable print).
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Her Days – 2012, screenprint on fabric, 27 × 21 in., from an edition of 49 (variable print).
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Her Days – 2012, screenprint on fabric, 27 × 21 in., from an edition of 49 (variable print).
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