Symbolism

After my research on Frida Kahlo and advice from tutors, I considered the idea of adding symbolic elements to tell more about their subject, their country and national identity. 

I will choose one symbolic element for  portrait and integrate it into the painting through accessories or wearable elements, except for the subjects that chose to not add any additional elements. 

Picture from exeter.ac.uk

Nada: Nada is from Jordan, and one of the national Jordanian symbols is “shemagh”, it is strongly representing history and identity. This scarf is more than just a piece of cloth, rather, it is a nod to Jordanian customs, traditions, culture, and historical identity (Ajlouni, 2023). This was what Nada suggested to add to her portrait since it is her favourite national accessory.

Jordanian Shemagh reference picture from rassme.com

Jesslyn: Jesslyn is from Indonesia, and a prominent symbol she uses in her work and what associates with her are flowers, she likes flowers and it fits her personality well. That is why I started searching national Indonesian flowers and according to Ardyanto (2016) President Soeharto designated Melati or Puspa Bangsa (Jasminum sambac), a little white flower with a pleasant scent, as Indonesia's national flower on June 5, 1990, World Environment Day.

Image of Jasmin sambac from casaindonesia.com

Aya: Aya is from Algeria. Algeria is a country with a deep history and traditions, but it is a predominantly religious country with a national religion being Islam, with 99.1% of Algerians identifying themselves as muslim (mofa.gov.pk, n.d.). Aya is wearing a muslim Hijab, which is a garment worn by some Muslim women to cover their hair (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2023).

Example image of women wearing Hijab from freepik.com

Manuela: Manuela is from Ghana, where women wrap scarves around their head with colourful fabrics that is considered a national symbol originating in Africa, where headwraps are customarily worn by ladies in several nations. In Ghana, they are referred to as "Duka," and the style of head covering that African women choose to wear can reveal details about their social and economic background, as well as their marital status (Kitenge Store, 2022).

Ankara Head Wrap reference image from etsy.com

References:

Ajlouni, E. (2023). The Palestinian Keffiyeh and The Jordanian Shemagh. [online] Arab America. Available at: https://www.arabamerica.com/the-palestinian-keffiyeh-and-the-jordanian-shemagh/#:~:text=The%20Jordanian%20shemagh%20is%20a [Accessed 2 Jun. 2024].

Ardyanto, A. (2016). 3 Indonesia National Flowers. [online] Talking Indonesia. Available at: https://talkingindonesia.com/3-indonesia-national-flowers/ [Accessed 2 Jun. 2024].

mofa.gov.pk. (n.d.). Do’s and Don’ts for Pakistani Nationals in Algeria. [online] Available at: https://mofa.gov.pk/dos-and-donts-for-pakistani-nationals-in-algeria#:~:text=Do [Accessed 2 Jun. 2024].

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica (2023). Ḥijāb | Islam. [online] Encyclopedia Britannica. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/topic/hijab [Accessed 2 Jun. 2024].

Kitenge Store. (2022). Fabric Guide for African Headwraps | Kitenge. [online] Available at: https://kitengestore.com/best-fabric-buy-african-headwraps/#:~:text=The%20headwrap%20originated%20from%20Africa [Accessed 2 Jun. 2024].