Desperate ‘Harem’

This artwork is based on Rokeya Begum's 18th-century poem "Sultana Dream," which describes the narrator's dream and the reverse harem structure that emerges in this utopia, in which the males are locked up while the women work outside. In this piece, I've constructed an abstract representation of a harem's interior, with multiple levels indicating the hierarchy of authorities and hands on the top controlling the lower puppets (referring to the social hierarchy in kingdoms).

Extra info: Harem – domestic spaces that are reserved for the women of the house in a Muslim family. A harem may house a man's wife or wives, their pre-pubescent male children, unmarried daughters, female domestic servants, and other unmarried female relatives.

Software used: Maya, Photoshop