Iman Shaggag

Iman Shaggag is a very sensitive, spiritual Sudanese painter whose minimal lines and more muted colors send a strong message. Her paintings predominantly focus on women in difficult situations, having almost no hope or options in life. This is only part of the situation in which Sudanese women find themselves, as they struggle with war, bad economic circumstances, health, education and social problems. Most of these women were brought up with the idea that they don’t have many options because of their gender, and, therefore, always rely on someone else to make decisions for them. In her piece called Identity, Shaggag has used the same photograph of herself twelve times, turning each one into a study of a woman from a different part of Sudan. How would you be affected if you had been born in a different place and time?