Lot 513: m - Raja Aissa , Tunisian B. 1958 Untitled mixed media under canvas

signed and dated 2005-2006 on the reverse mixed media under canvas

measurements note 89.3 by 116cm.; 35 1/4 by 45 2/3 in.

Raja Aissa's unique and distinctive work is multilayered both in composition and meaning, and the ideas she relates are revealed to us through two distinct compositional elements; the first being a heavy interplay of opposites and the spiritual relationship between their contrasting allegorical elements; the second focusing on the concept of a screen as a metaphor for individual alienation. Aissa's work toys with the visual phenomena of opacity in order to convey the relationship between the seen and unseen, the hidden and the exposed. In this piece, the heavy overlay permits only a partial sight of the female form beneath, even then, the woman's back is turned, a further obstacle to fully apprehending her form. The choice of a female figure is striking and relevant; the female lover is a prominent Sufi metaphor for the divine, whose image is ever obscured by a veil, to achieve oneness with God (tawhid), the Sufi must penetrate the transitory physical realm (zahir), represented by the veil, and aquire hidden truth (batin), represented by the female form. In Aissa's work, the complex relationship between the obscured figure and the way it is perceived act as a spiritual commentary on the relationship between the real and apparent. Within this interplay, we, who are external to the canvas, are unable to access the realm of the depiction, representing humanity's inability to access the divine. Aissa's art however does not neglect the human realm, and the use of an overlay together with the sombre pose of the form beneath is a powerful symbol of the alienation prevalent in today's society. Like the anonymous figure obscured by the overlay; modern man's identity is compromised by globalization and consumerism, forces which take no account of the individual, rendering him faceless. In the same way that the real covering acts as a tool for distorting and masking the human form, modern society has a malign, corrupting effect on the soul.

It is important to note however, that whilst there is a deep philosophical dimension to Aissa's work, the aesthetic qualities of her depictions are of equal value. The slender nude form, accentuated by the curvature of the spine and the taut stance create undertones of eroticism in the piece, with the veil and the aspect lending a distinctly voyeuristic quality to her work. Whether as a spiritual, political or purely artistic creation, Aissa's work is both original in design, and skilful in execution.