ALJOHARA JEJE | Two Series | Shadows of the Past, Foretelling the FutAure.’ | /pəˈfɔːm(ə)ns/

Finalist at the International Open Call Competition. A collaboration of Florence Biennale, Art Market Magazine, and Lens Magazine.

ALJOHARA JEJE | / pəˈfɔːm(ə)ns/

This series represents a silent story told, a statement, a performance.
To lessen misunderstandings in this sensitive subject, let’s invoke the book of words, for, beyond words’ immediate denotations, they have connotative powers.

The Process:
Performance (Oxford Dictionary Online):

1. ‘An act of presenting a play, concert, or other forms of entertainment; performances are with physical movements but also with spoken words, sounds, noise, this in stark contrast with the contemplative silence of a photograph. Interesting to visualize this tension.

Silenced:
In general, we women are educated, we learn not to speak our minds ODO 2.1 ‘A task or operation seen in terms of how successfully it is performed.’ But, if we do speak our minds, it is often classified as ODO 1.2′ A display of exaggerated behavior or a process involving a great deal of unnecessary time and effort; a fuss.’
Silenced twice:
For people with vaginas, orgasms commonly come from the clitoris.
Female Genital Mutilation: the most severe — infibulation — is the removal of the clitoris and parts of the external genitalia followed by stitching together of what remains. Words are like pearls, rolling formed, developed and cultivated over time, treasured, colorful, shiny, lustrous pearls of wisdom.
Pearls, as pure and innocent, symbolizing the clitoris, have an imaginary value. The value of a word, of a clitoris, is what we designate for it.
The title, which is the English pronunciation of the word ‘performance’ put in writing, is as intelligible when silence(d).
ODO 2.4 ‘An individual’s use of a language, i.e., what a speaker actually says, including hesitations, false starts, and errors. Often contrasted with competence.’
The women of this series are, as women around the world, silenced.
Through the Triptychs expression, the center is locked in between two worlds, one mirroring the other.

About Aljohara Jeje

Aljohara grew up in the North of Europe, she lived in various countries, and now she has chosen to settle in The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, indefinitely. She is one of these rare international cultural voices whose work is based upon her keen observations, which she subsequently translates into her recordings.
The versatile artist endorses the realities of contemporary Saudi Arabia without neglecting its rich history nor its traditions. Her practice explores the cultural landscape as a tool for uncovering and registering the many colors and shades known to The Kingdom.
In this way, she creates a reflecting composite of the intricate and spirited dynamic scenery of today’s Saudi Arabia. An intriguing refreshing look at contemporary Saudi Arabia through a western veil, it comes as no surprise that Aljohara is increasingly well-known and commissioned in and outside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia due to her wide range of expertly crafted fine art.

What is art without a message? For as long as I can remember,
I have been a woman and artist. Enraptured by techniques,
I graduated in Product Design after studying Fine art photography, in between propaedeutic Art History. Later in life,
I took courses in medieval artistry techniques in China and Portugal.
I immensely enjoyed Saudi Arabia’s vibrant society so much that I chose to live and work in Jeddah. I am convinced that The Kingdom has all the elements becoming the next center of artists’ hub on par with Berlin and the main European cities. – Aljohara Jeje

‘Shadows of the Past, Foretelling the Future.’

“The King is Dead, Long Live the King,”

When a king dies, the old is being abandoned, and the new will be embraced. Once opulent and flourishing as in the colorful epic of ‘A Thousand and One Nights, Palaces are seemingly easily disregarded; they are left to decay and what remains is a mere memory of its previous self. The old perishes and becomes a shadow of its own, a witness foretelling what will come next.

By looking back into the past, we can better understand the present and help predict the future in history. If we only look to the future, we are condemned to repeat its past. If we look to the past only, we shall be trapped into history and shall not be able to appreciate the present nor the future, the time inevitably ahead of us.
Ongoing project:
Khuzam Palace Jeddah,
Jabrah Palace Taif,
Bayt Katif Taif,
Bayt Kaki Taif,
Al Fakheria Palace Hofuf,
Qasr Ibn Tha’ali Mecca,
Mushrif Palace Hofuf.

Read the full article in Lens Magazine Issue #81