Cover image: Mondher and Amel
Aïcha Filali is a multi-disciplinary artist whose work plays with mediums like needlework, photography, and sculpture. Growing up in Tunisia as the country gained independence from France, Aïcha uses her art to explore sociopolitical issues while maintaining an air of humor and tenderness. In 2011, the artist embarked on a multi-year project, the result of which we featured on the site, examining the performative traditions of a Tunisian wedding. The series sees Aïcha take the highly-choreographed photos of newly wed couples and Photoshop them into a new environment, before printing the image onto fabric and embroidering it with decorative materials like sequins, satin, and tulle. Aïcha’s artworks have been exhibited across Europe and Africa, and in 1994 she was the recipient of a UNESCO Crafts Prize.
