Queen of Heaven – 2012–2013

A three‑room installation honoring Fatimah—beloved daughter of the Prophet Muhammad—through white‑on‑white textiles and monochrome paintings that trace her life, her lineage, and the sacred story of the People of the Cloak.
Translucent white fabric architectural structure with an open entrance and a large black‑and‑white portrait painting on the front, set in a gallery with additional artworks on pedestals in the background
Queen of Heaven – 2013 – Installation – 20 × 17 × 13 ft – Katherine Nash Gallery.
Side view of a translucent white fabric architectural structure with an open entrance, showing the angled walls and soft lighting within the gallery space
Queen of Heaven, side view – 2013.

Concept & Themes

Queen of Heaven is an immersive installation composed of three pentagonal rooms, each echoing the five revered figures known in Islamic tradition as Ahl al‑Bayt—the People of the House. The architecture, built from translucent white fabric minimally screen‑printed with white ink, creates a soft, luminous environment that evokes purity, tenderness, and the spiritual radiance associated with Fatimah.
Close view of the translucent white fabric entrance revealing the first room with a large monochrome portrait painting and a partial opening leading into the second room
Queen of Heaven, close‑up of entrance showing first room and view toward second room.
Upward view inside the third room showing the translucent white fabric ceiling forming a pentagonal shape with the upper edge of the gray‑and‑white Story of the Cloak painting visible below
Queen of Heaven, third room, view toward ceiling showing its pentagonal structure and top of Story of the Cloak painting – 2013 – Katherine Nash Gallery, Minneapolis, MN
Interior view from the third room showing a triangular vestibule connecting the rooms, with part of the gray‑and‑white Story of the Cloak painting on one side and the back of the Flower of Paradise painting visible across the passageway
Queen of Heaven, third room view showing the triangular vestibule between rooms, with a portion of Story of the Cloak and the back of Flower of Paradise.
The installation centers Fatimah, celebrated for her compassion, goodness, and elevated status as the best woman in heaven. Each room holds a gray‑and‑white painting depicting a different stage of her life and her role within the sacred lineage.
Gray‑and‑white portrait composition showing a central child's face surrounded by three girls' faces connected by braided hair, set against an intricate patterned background containing the Arabic word for paradise
Queen of Heaven, Flower of Paradise painting in the first room – 2013 – Acrylic on translucent fabric – Katherine Nash Gallery.
Gray‑and‑white painting of a woman seated with two young boys in her lap, framed by large floral motifs and a circular halo‑like form behind her
Queen of Heaven, The Mother of Imams painting in the second room – 2013 – Acrylic on translucent fabric – Katherine Nash Gallery.
The three pentagonal rooms trace Fatimah’s life and spiritual lineage through a progression of gray‑and‑white paintings, each housed within its own luminous white‑fabric chamber. The first room introduces her as an infant surrounded by her three sisters, a tender scene that establishes the familial bonds and early purity that shape her story. The second room presents The Mother of Imams, depicting Fatimah with her young sons Al‑Hasan and Al‑Husain, whose descendants form the sacred line of Shi‘ite Imams; here, motherhood becomes both an intimate gesture and a conduit of spiritual authority. The third room culminates in the life‑size Story of the Cloak, illustrating the revered moment when the Prophet Muhammad, Fatimah, Ali, Al‑Hasan, and Al‑Husain gather beneath a Yemeni cloak and receive divine blessing. Rendered in soft monochrome, this depiction acknowledges the long‑standing debate around figuration in Islamic art—especially of holy figures—while inviting viewers to consider how tenderness, lineage, and revelation can be expressed through contemporary visual language.
Queen of Heaven, detail of a woman's portrait from Story of the Cloak – 2013 – Acrylic on translucent fabric – Katherine Nash Gallery
Queen of Heaven, detail of Fatimah’s portrait from Story of the Cloak – 2013 – Acrylic on translucent fabric – Katherine Nash Gallery.
Queen of Heaven, The Story of the Cloak painting in the third room – 2013 – Acrylic on translucent fabric – Katherine Nash Gallery
Queen of Heaven, The Story of the Cloak painting in the third room – 2013 – Acrylic on translucent fabric – Katherine Nash Gallery.

Exhibiton History

2012 – Queen of Heaven – Great Mothers of Islam – Vine Arts Center, Minneapolis, MN 
​ 2013 – Queen of Heaven – Instructions for Peace – Katherine Nash Gallery, Minneapolis, MN ​
Gallery view showing visitors around a large translucent white fabric installation with a geometric top, positioned in the center of the room with framed artworks on the surrounding walls
Queen of Heaven – exhibition view – 2012 – Installation – Vine Arts Center, Minneapolis, MN.
Diagrammatic floor plan illustrating three connected pentagonal rooms arranged around a small triangular vestibule at the center, representing the spatial layout of the Queen of Heaven installation
Queen of Heaven, floor plan showing the three pentagonal rooms and the central triangular vestibule.