{"id":18805,"date":"2026-07-27T15:04:52","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T15:04:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/lalla-essaydi-intimacy-and-subversion\/"},"modified":"2026-09-07T08:54:37","modified_gmt":"2026-09-07T08:54:37","slug":"lalla-essaydi-intimacy-and-subversion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/en\/lalla-essaydi-intimacy-and-subversion\/","title":{"rendered":"Lalla Essaydi: Intimacy and Subversion"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"18805\" class=\"elementor elementor-18805 elementor-16600\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-244b292 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"244b292\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-add9427 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"add9427\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><b>Having reclaimed a part of herself through writing, the artist makes obsessive use of calligraphy, blurring the lines between her characters and their architectural surroundings in a constant exploration of women\u2019s place in Eastern society.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>By Katia Feltrin<\/p>\n<p>Published in 2009 in the first issue of Diptyk.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ca73b4e elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"ca73b4e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1400\" height=\"1103\" src=\"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/5f085002e3dfd.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-18806\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/5f085002e3dfd.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/5f085002e3dfd-300x236.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/5f085002e3dfd-1024x807.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/5f085002e3dfd-768x605.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Les femmes du Maroc : Grande odalisque (Women of Morocco: Large Odalisque), 2008. Medium, C-41, 76 x 102 cm <\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-073a8a6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"073a8a6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9d93888 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"9d93888\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A native of the Tamanslouht zaouia, Lalla Essaydi was born in 1960. Now based in New York, the photographer reinterprets images associated with Orientalism (odalisques, harems, veiled women, etc.) by playing with the motifs. The photographer regularly returns to Morocco, to her childhood home, to create new series of photographs. She explores both her past and her reflections on the role of women in a male-dominated society. This childhood home allows the artist to tap into her inner world: \u201c      <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I will always carry that home within me, but my current life has added new dimensions to it. There is this very different space that I inhabit in the Western world\u2014a space of independence and mobility. It is from this vantage point that I can return to the landscapes of my childhood in Morocco and reconsider them with detachment and a new understanding.<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u201d<\/span><\/p><p><b>Words Written in Henna<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this sense, it echoes Gaston Bachelard\u2019s *The Poetics of Space*, which emphasizes this dialectic between the inside and the outside to construct a topography of the inner self: \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Our unconscious is \u2018housed.\u2019 Our soul is a dwelling. By remembering \u2018houses\u2019 and rooms, we learn to \u2018dwell\u2019 within ourselves.<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Arabic calligraphy fills the entire frame of her photographs, blending the bodies of her models with the architecture of this abandoned traditional Moroccan home. The woman and the space are thus highlighted by words written in henna. Associated with the major milestones in a Moroccan woman\u2019s life and all rites of passage, henna\u2014a temporary tattoo\u2014marks the transition from childhood to puberty, engagements, the birth of the first child&#8230;  <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3739659 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"3739659\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-60b26fe elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"60b26fe\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1400\" height=\"1116\" src=\"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/edwynnhoukgallery-lalla-essaydi-les-femmes-du-maroc-52-2006.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-18808\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/edwynnhoukgallery-lalla-essaydi-les-femmes-du-maroc-52-2006.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/edwynnhoukgallery-lalla-essaydi-les-femmes-du-maroc-52-2006-300x239.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/edwynnhoukgallery-lalla-essaydi-les-femmes-du-maroc-52-2006-1024x816.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/edwynnhoukgallery-lalla-essaydi-les-femmes-du-maroc-52-2006-768x612.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Les femmes du Maroc : # 52 (Women of Morocco: #52), 2007, Medium, C-41, 122 x 152 cm<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-27c44c6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"27c44c6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f777795 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"f777795\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For Lalla Essaydi, creating these photographs is a performative act. It takes her more than nine hours to complete her meticulous calligraphic works on her models\u2019 bodies and the surrounding architectural space. However, the use of Arabic calligraphy\u2014a sacred Islamic art form\u2014is normally reserved for men. Beneath the apparent gentleness, almost decorative in nature, that these genre scenes evoke for a Western audience, Lalla Essaydi\u2019s work is intended to be subversive. The images she recreates and the inevitable suffering of her models\u2014forced to remain motionless for hours on end\u2014draw their inspiration from the memory of the punished woman, silenced for disobedience. This enforced silence is countered by an obsessive written word that invades the entire architectural space, taking its revenge\u2014but not only that. A few lines are missing from this writing, which, as Lalla Essaydi tells us, is not truly legible and yet tells the story of her life (she was illiterate at the time of her early marriage; she reclaimed a part of herself by gaining access to writing, which she employs in a sort of overdetermination&#8230;) The space is indeed seized by a hallucinatory vertigo in which the word\u2014sacred in its formal appearance, ironic and cruel in its linguistic content\u2014spreads out, blurring all boundaries, all distinctions between the walls, the woman, her body, and her clothes.      <\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the same time, these images offer a strong (albeit inverted) echo in the West of the iconography conveyed by Ingres or Delacroix, by taking up the theme of the odalisque, for example\u2014a term which, as Lalla Essaydi points out, literally means in Turkish: \u201cone who belongs to a chamber.\u201d<br\/><br\/>This translation was generated using AI. For the original text, please see the French version of this article.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0416ba0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"0416ba0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-95b7d4f elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"95b7d4f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1400\" height=\"1775\" src=\"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2014_DUB_01039_0252_000lalla_essaydi_les_femmes_du_maroc_fumee_dambre_gris090346.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-18807\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2014_DUB_01039_0252_000lalla_essaydi_les_femmes_du_maroc_fumee_dambre_gris090346.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2014_DUB_01039_0252_000lalla_essaydi_les_femmes_du_maroc_fumee_dambre_gris090346-237x300.jpg 237w, https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2014_DUB_01039_0252_000lalla_essaydi_les_femmes_du_maroc_fumee_dambre_gris090346-808x1024.jpg 808w, https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2014_DUB_01039_0252_000lalla_essaydi_les_femmes_du_maroc_fumee_dambre_gris090346-768x974.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2014_DUB_01039_0252_000lalla_essaydi_les_femmes_du_maroc_fumee_dambre_gris090346-1211x1536.jpg 1211w, https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2014_DUB_01039_0252_000lalla_essaydi_les_femmes_du_maroc_fumee_dambre_gris090346-300x380.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Les femmes du Maroc : Fum\u00e9e d\u2019ambre gris (Women of Morocco: Ambergris Smoke), 2008. Medium, C-41, 122 x 152 cm <\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Having reclaimed a part of herself through writing, the artist makes obsessive use of calligraphy, blurring the lines between her characters and their architectural surroundings in a constant exploration of women\u2019s place in Eastern society. By Katia Feltrin Published in 2009 in the first issue of Diptyk. Les femmes du Maroc : Grande odalisque, 2008. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":18808,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1603],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18805","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-portfolio"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Lalla Essaydi: Intimacy and Subversion &#8212; Diptykmag<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/en\/lalla-essaydi-intimacy-and-subversion\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Lalla Essaydi: Intimacy and Subversion &#8212; Diptykmag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Having reclaimed a part of herself through writing, the artist makes obsessive use of calligraphy, blurring the lines between her characters and their architectural surroundings in a constant exploration of women\u2019s place in Eastern society. By Katia Feltrin Published in 2009 in the first issue of Diptyk. Les femmes du Maroc : Grande odalisque, 2008. [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/en\/lalla-essaydi-intimacy-and-subversion\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Diptykmag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-27T15:04:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-09-07T08:54:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/edwynnhoukgallery-lalla-essaydi-les-femmes-du-maroc-52-2006.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1116\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Fatine Elkharrim\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Fatine Elkharrim\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.diptykmag.com\\\/en\\\/lalla-essaydi-intimacy-and-subversion\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.diptykmag.com\\\/en\\\/lalla-essaydi-intimacy-and-subversion\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Fatine Elkharrim\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.diptykmag.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/727f9776be067b65285172eaf025f1ec\"},\"headline\":\"Lalla Essaydi: Intimacy and Subversion\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-27T15:04:52+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-09-07T08:54:37+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.diptykmag.com\\\/en\\\/lalla-essaydi-intimacy-and-subversion\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":645,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.diptykmag.com\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.diptykmag.com\\\/en\\\/lalla-essaydi-intimacy-and-subversion\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.diptykmag.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/edwynnhoukgallery-lalla-essaydi-les-femmes-du-maroc-52-2006.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Portfolio\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.diptykmag.com\\\/en\\\/lalla-essaydi-intimacy-and-subversion\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.diptykmag.com\\\/en\\\/lalla-essaydi-intimacy-and-subversion\\\/\",\"name\":\"Lalla Essaydi: Intimacy and Subversion &#8212; Diptykmag\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.diptykmag.com\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.diptykmag.com\\\/en\\\/lalla-essaydi-intimacy-and-subversion\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.diptykmag.com\\\/en\\\/lalla-essaydi-intimacy-and-subversion\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.diptykmag.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/edwynnhoukgallery-lalla-essaydi-les-femmes-du-maroc-52-2006.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-27T15:04:52+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-09-07T08:54:37+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.diptykmag.com\\\/en\\\/lalla-essaydi-intimacy-and-subversion\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.diptykmag.com\\\/en\\\/lalla-essaydi-intimacy-and-subversion\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.diptykmag.com\\\/en\\\/lalla-essaydi-intimacy-and-subversion\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.diptykmag.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/edwynnhoukgallery-lalla-essaydi-les-femmes-du-maroc-52-2006.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.diptykmag.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/edwynnhoukgallery-lalla-essaydi-les-femmes-du-maroc-52-2006.jpg\",\"width\":1400,\"height\":1116,\"caption\":\"Les femmes du Maroc : # 52 (Women of Morocco: #52), 2007, Medium, C-41, 122 x 152 cm\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.diptykmag.com\\\/en\\\/lalla-essaydi-intimacy-and-subversion\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Accueil\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.diptykmag.com\\\/en\\\/home-page\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Lalla Essaydi: Intimacy and Subversion\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.diptykmag.com\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.diptykmag.com\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"Diptyk Magazine\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.diptykmag.com\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.diptykmag.com\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.diptykmag.com\\\/en\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Les \u00c9ditions Art En Stock\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.diptykmag.com\\\/en\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.diptykmag.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.diptykmag.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/Logo-Diptyk-Black.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.diptykmag.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/Logo-Diptyk-Black.svg\",\"width\":435,\"height\":141,\"caption\":\"Les \u00c9ditions Art En Stock\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.diptykmag.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.diptykmag.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/727f9776be067b65285172eaf025f1ec\",\"name\":\"Fatine Elkharrim\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/db650746256e9329b2e068caa3ab452b08b4176515c69f59799cc726e7b5d0ec?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/db650746256e9329b2e068caa3ab452b08b4176515c69f59799cc726e7b5d0ec?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/db650746256e9329b2e068caa3ab452b08b4176515c69f59799cc726e7b5d0ec?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Fatine Elkharrim\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.diptykmag.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.diptykmag.com\\\/en\\\/author\\\/fatine\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Lalla Essaydi: Intimacy and Subversion &#8212; Diptykmag","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/en\/lalla-essaydi-intimacy-and-subversion\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Lalla Essaydi: Intimacy and Subversion &#8212; Diptykmag","og_description":"Having reclaimed a part of herself through writing, the artist makes obsessive use of calligraphy, blurring the lines between her characters and their architectural surroundings in a constant exploration of women\u2019s place in Eastern society. By Katia Feltrin Published in 2009 in the first issue of Diptyk. Les femmes du Maroc : Grande odalisque, 2008. [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/en\/lalla-essaydi-intimacy-and-subversion\/","og_site_name":"Diptykmag","article_published_time":"2026-07-27T15:04:52+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-09-07T08:54:37+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1400,"height":1116,"url":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/edwynnhoukgallery-lalla-essaydi-les-femmes-du-maroc-52-2006.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Fatine Elkharrim","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Fatine Elkharrim","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/en\/lalla-essaydi-intimacy-and-subversion\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/en\/lalla-essaydi-intimacy-and-subversion\/"},"author":{"name":"Fatine Elkharrim","@id":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/727f9776be067b65285172eaf025f1ec"},"headline":"Lalla Essaydi: Intimacy and Subversion","datePublished":"2026-07-27T15:04:52+00:00","dateModified":"2026-09-07T08:54:37+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/en\/lalla-essaydi-intimacy-and-subversion\/"},"wordCount":645,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/en\/lalla-essaydi-intimacy-and-subversion\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/edwynnhoukgallery-lalla-essaydi-les-femmes-du-maroc-52-2006.jpg","articleSection":["Portfolio"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/en\/lalla-essaydi-intimacy-and-subversion\/","url":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/en\/lalla-essaydi-intimacy-and-subversion\/","name":"Lalla Essaydi: Intimacy and Subversion &#8212; Diptykmag","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/en\/lalla-essaydi-intimacy-and-subversion\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/en\/lalla-essaydi-intimacy-and-subversion\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/edwynnhoukgallery-lalla-essaydi-les-femmes-du-maroc-52-2006.jpg","datePublished":"2026-07-27T15:04:52+00:00","dateModified":"2026-09-07T08:54:37+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/en\/lalla-essaydi-intimacy-and-subversion\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/en\/lalla-essaydi-intimacy-and-subversion\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/en\/lalla-essaydi-intimacy-and-subversion\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/edwynnhoukgallery-lalla-essaydi-les-femmes-du-maroc-52-2006.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/edwynnhoukgallery-lalla-essaydi-les-femmes-du-maroc-52-2006.jpg","width":1400,"height":1116,"caption":"Les femmes du Maroc : # 52 (Women of Morocco: #52), 2007, Medium, C-41, 122 x 152 cm"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/en\/lalla-essaydi-intimacy-and-subversion\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Accueil","item":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/en\/home-page\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Lalla Essaydi: Intimacy and Subversion"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/en\/","name":"Diptyk Magazine","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/en\/#organization","name":"Les \u00c9ditions Art En Stock","url":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Logo-Diptyk-Black.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Logo-Diptyk-Black.svg","width":435,"height":141,"caption":"Les \u00c9ditions Art En Stock"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/727f9776be067b65285172eaf025f1ec","name":"Fatine Elkharrim","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/db650746256e9329b2e068caa3ab452b08b4176515c69f59799cc726e7b5d0ec?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/db650746256e9329b2e068caa3ab452b08b4176515c69f59799cc726e7b5d0ec?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/db650746256e9329b2e068caa3ab452b08b4176515c69f59799cc726e7b5d0ec?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Fatine Elkharrim"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/en\/author\/fatine\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18805","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18805"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18805\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18966,"href":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18805\/revisions\/18966"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18808"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18805"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18805"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diptykmag.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18805"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}