Photo Essay : Princesses Of Sheba At Night.  ( Exhibited in Amsterdam and Paris)

This Exhibition tells the life of young people based in Marseille, France. Among this group, while most of them come from Maghreb countries, some grew up in France. But all, have Muslim religion or culture. They agreed to pose in front of our camera and testified. Most of Western-Europe and the larger cities in the USA are relatively accepting towards the LGBTQ+ community; the issues that gay and trans people face are minor in comparison to countries where acting out as a homosexual or transgender can lead to a prison sentence, torture and in some cases death. These communities still face specific difficulties when their environment has not evolved. With this photography project, we want to present the lonely and often complex stories of LGBTQ+ people with a Muslim religious or cultural background. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people with a Muslim background fear more difficulties when disclosing their sexuality and still have to hide their ‘true lives’ from family, colleagues and even ‘friends’. Some fear of homophobia, transphobia and any other kind of exclusion. Many ‘choose’ or in other words ‘have to’ leave their family and community. All people that are being photographed now live in the Western part of the world. Via this first series, a combination of photographs and texts, we take a look at how they can openly live in their sexual identity and gender identity. My creative process aims to focus on the narratives about their identity, struggles, and dreams. 

For this exhibition, the testimonies featured on each print are crafted with golden leaf.