It’s a Man’s World. Until it Isn’t. (For Scheherezaade)

Installation, 2021

It’s a Man’s World… presents a modern-day tableaux of 1001 Arabian Nights. Precariously stacked objects form an abode for a small doll that symbolizes Scheherezaade, the protagonist of the book. Night after night, Scheherezaade must stave off death by seducing her husband, the king, with bedtime stories. A labyrinth of mystical tales, 1001 Arabian Nights functions as an ongoing power play between the genders: Scheherezaade uses her feminine wiles to undermine the king’s desire to ultimately kill off the deceptive, lesser sex. The installation is constructed from precariously stacked objects affiliated with conventional gender roles. Axes, baseballs, and toy soldiers abut frying pans, baby dolls, and doilies. This unsettling array questions whether much has changed since the tales were first told.

It’s a Man’s World… was included in South Bend Museum of Art’s Biennial 31.