The English Islamophobia and 2041’s Burqa Fetish

A burqa or a burka, also known as a chadaree in Afghanistan or a paranja in Central Asia, is an enveloping outer garment which covers the body and the face that is worn by women in some Islamic traditions. The Arab version of the burqa is called the boshiya, and it is usually black.

England – 

2041’ is an eponymous collection of self-portraits, concealed beneath various forms of burqa or niqab. Using the camera to articulate a passion he has secretly indulged for decades, the artist appears dozens of times without ever disclosing his image or identity.

Long before 2041 bought his first real burqa online, he began crafting his own versions from draped and folded fabrics in a rich array of textures and colours. By photographing himself in these costumes – ranging from the traditional to the theatrical – he adopts multiple personas, but always remains anonymous.


1301_6396724631_o-b

2041’s first memories of the pleasure of being enveloped in swathes of cloth are from his days as a choirboy. As an adult, he developed an interest in more complete coverings, but it was only ten years ago that he first bought a computer and found an online community that shares his passion.

The photographs in 2041 were selected from thousands that he made to share with these fellow enthusiasts. Anonymised by both the internet and the veil, these men and women, Christian, Muslim and without religion, post their pictures and thoughts from locations spanning Western Europe and the Gulf States.

For many, including Muslim men, the practice is driven by what one Christian woman describes as her ‘insatiable desire for extreme modesty.’ What almost all seem to crave is transcendence of the physical self – or at least being judged on the physical – coupled with the excitement of observing the world unseen, safely cocooned in luxuriant fabrics. This is the burqa seen in a celebratory light.

Photography

Related Posts

Tatiana Tcherkezyan: Deep Inside

Russia – THIS STORY CONTAINS EXPLICIT CONTENT For more than 4 years I have been collecting the material for this ...

Monk… Its personal – Ekkarat Punyatara

Thailand – I believe Buddhism or the middle way of Buddha is the personal journey of each person’s mind, observing ...

Fosi Vegue: XY XX

Spain – THIS STORY CONTAINS EXPLICIT CONTENT An inner courtyard faces a row of rooms where prostitutes take their clients. ...

Lens Kumari – Nayantara Gurung Kakshapati

Nepal – BEING NEPALI in the New Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal Tharu. Chhetri. Danuwar. Gurung. Lohar. Newar. The Nepali people ...

Ren Hang

THIS STORY CONTAINS EXPLICIT CONTENT China – Photographer and poet, Ren Hang was born in Changchun, in northeast China in ...

The Lens of Persia – Abbas

‘IRAN. Shahr Rey. 1997. Four seater motorbike’ Iran – Famous for his sheer aesthetic intellect, rational sense of work and ...

The PhotoBookMuseum by Schaden Foundation

Germany –    The PhotoBookMuseum (The_PBM) pays tribute to the central form of expression in photography: the photobook. To introduce ...

Francesca Seravalle on Paul Kooiker “HE SHE WE”

 Holland – THIS STORY CONTAINS EXPLICIT CONTENT Hidden from indiscreet eyes, in his room, in a heavenly garden or exposed ...

Douglas Stockdale on W. Eugene Smith’s The Big Book

USA – W. Eugene Smith’s The Big Book is a very interesting and unusual three volume set that includes a ...