The Majlis المجلس
This photoshoot unfolds as a nonlinear narrative centered around the majlis “المجلس” — a gathering space deeply rooted in Gulf and broader Arab culture, traditionally reserved for receiving and entertaining guests, most often men. The majlis carries its own social hierarchy; attention is placed on who gathers where, who belongs, and what conversations unfold within its walls.
At its core, this project explores the performative nature of masculinity within these spaces. Men of all ages sit together to catch up, observe, and gossip; often about women, in ways strikingly similar to the femininity they openly mock. Gossip, so frequently gendered as feminine, is equally embedded within hyper-masculine spaces across the Arab world.
As a woman who has never physically sat in majlis with men, yet has endlessly heard stories of what takes place inside, this work reconstructs those imagined interiors through my own lens. I bring these stories to life through young male personas, each embodying exaggerated archetypes of behavior, ego, and intimacy. The images create a miniature parallel world that draws visual cues from domestic Gulf spaces while simultaneously distorting them.
Through this project, I position myself as both observer and infiltrator, entering the majlis not to document it traditionally, but to deconstruct it, exposing the fragile performance beneath its masculine facade.
