This book is a collection of 3x4 photographs of portraits and official biometric photos of women, including family, friends, and friends of friends. Some have moved from one country to another.
Others still live in the country where they were born.
At some point, each of us has had to take a biometric photo for a visa. Since it is not allowed to take official photos without a Hijab, this is often the only official photo taken without a Hijab or Maghnaeh. Stripped of those familiar coverings, the image reveals a version of the self that feels both exposed and unfamiliar.
It is just a photograph. And yet, it can feel like something more: a quiet portrait of dislocation. At times, sometimes we don’t even recognise ourselves in it.
That feeling stretches beyond the frame. The experience of being different at home and outside of it. The sense of performing versions of the self, shifting identities, layered personalities, alien even to one’s reflection. These photos are just one lens through which to look at the broader story: of belonging, borders, and the space in between.