Shadow Sisters – 2013

Shadow Sisters is a collaborative installation built as a winding labyrinth of ceiling‑to‑floor glassine rolls painted and printed with henna. Visitors move through narrow, fragrant passages that lead toward an inner sanctum created by a fellow artist, experiencing a shared space shaped by two intertwined cultural lineages.

Translucent glassine panels hanging in a gallery space, layered with henna drawing, painting, and screenprinted motifs including a large female figure and floral patterns, with light casting shadows through the patterned surfaces

Shadow Sisters, installation view of henna drawing, painting, and screenprinting on suspended glassine panels – 2013 – The Phipps Center for the Arts, Hudson, WI.

Concept and Theme

Al‑Mansour constructed the labyrinth from 12‑foot rolls of 5‑foot‑wide glassine, hand‑painting and screen‑printing each sheet with henna, turmeric, and crimson in layered passes. Suspended from ceiling to floor, the rolls formed narrow, turning corridors punctuated by small tear‑out windows that offered controlled views into Sagar's inner sanctum. Sagar's contribution consisted of clay‑carved heads laid directly on earth, surrounded by walls layered with glassine painted in earthy tones. The scent of henna, the translucency of the paper, and the rustle of the hanging sheets shaped the viewer’s movement through the space. The installation evolved through sustained dialogue between the two artists, allowing material process and collaborative exchange to guide the final form.

Narrow passageway formed by suspended glassine panels covered in henna drawing, painting, and screenprinted figures and patterns in warm tones, creating an immersive illustrated corridor that viewers walk through

Overhead view of a turning passage formed by suspended glassine panels marked with henna, turmeric, and crimson, showing layered figurative and patterned motifs

Hanging glassine panels marked with henna, arranged to create a narrow passage lined with figurative and patterned motifs

Clay‑carved head placed on earth inside the installation, with semi‑transparent glassine panels around it covered in henna drawing, painting, and screenprinted snake motifs in warm tones

Clay‑carved head resting on a bed of earth inside the installation, encircled by hanging glassine panels covered in henna drawing, painting, and screenprinted snake motifs in warm tones

Process

Al‑Mansour constructed the labyrinth from 12‑foot rolls of 5‑foot‑wide glassine, hand‑painting and screen‑printing each sheet with henna in layered passes. Suspended from ceiling to floor, the rolls formed narrow, turning corridors punctuated by small tear‑out windows that offered controlled views into Sagar's inner sanctum. Sagar's contribution consisted of clay‑carved heads laid directly on earth, surrounded by walls layered with glassine painted in earthy tones. The scent of henna, the translucency of the paper, and the rustle of the hanging sheets shaped the viewer's movement through the space. The installation evolved through sustained dialogue between the two artists, allowing material process and collaborative exchange to guide the final form.

Two mirrored female figures standing on one leg, holding a shared draped cloth and a floral garland between them, with patterned hair and dresses creating a symmetrical, decorative composition

Symmetrical line drawing of two female figures standing on either side of an ornate vertical form, each raising one arm to support a patterned object above them, with long decorated hair, partial garments, and outward‑curving tails creating a mythic, mirrored composition

Artist Hend Al‑Mansour kneeling on the studio floor, applying henna from an applicator bottle onto a large figurative artwork showing two elongated bodies reaching toward one another, with patterned textures and flowing forms

Hend Al‑Mansour drawing with henna from an applicator bottle on a large work laid out on the floor of her studio – 2013.