In this digital collage, "The Amazing Asma and Her Dashing Deer," I channeled the spirit of Asma Bint Shihab al-Sulayhiyya, a powerful Yemeni queen who defied stereotypes by governing with her face uncovered. The name "Asma" also connects the artwork to several influential Islamic women, not just Asma Bint Shihab al-Sulayhiyya. Women such as Aṣmāʼ bint Marwān, a 7th-century poet whole dared to express her thoughts in an era when women's voices were often silenced. Her poetry was a testament to her courage, her words a weapon against oppression. Or Asmāʾ bint Abī Bakr, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad, and a paragon of bravery and faith.
Surrounding Asma, miniature deer dance in lockstep on the wing of a bright pink plane — soaring through a sunset sky. In Islamic myths and artistic motifs, deer often symbolise femininity and the fleeting passage of human life. Their graceful dance around Asma is a reminder of the transient nature of life and the enduring power of legacies being adapted and updated by those who were once kept outside of them...
