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Yumna Al-Arashi
Yemeni-American artist who combines photography with extensive research and writing, focusing on human rights, feminism, sexuality, nature, and the Middle East. She is self-taught as a photographer with a Bachelor’s Degree from the New School in International Politics. Yumna was born in Washington D.C. and currently lives in London.
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Rituals: The 99 Names of God
"The 99 Names of God embraces the rhythmic rituals that have run alongside Islamic tradition throughout the centuries in this surreal and poetic short film. Piecing together old and new, I aimed to create dream-like imagery which breathes fresh air to a subject hardly seen in positive light. The importance of geometry, nature, spiritual connectivity, style, meditation, and feminine power in Islamic tradition is something modern media has failed to depict, and my goal was to revive these themes in a truly beautiful manner. Islam’s underlying inherent meditative, universal and spiritual value has been washed over by negative media representation and male-dominated dogmatic imposition. It is time we see new imagery dedicated to truly understanding a religion filled with mysticism and beauty, practiced by over 1.8 billion people around the world." - Yumna Al-Arashi