Anysa Saleh is a Yemeni Muslim American artist born and raised in the central valley of California. Through short videos and photography, Saleh documents and explores her experience as a Yemeni Muslim woman living in the United States. Saleh unpacks universal experiences shared by women grappling with being unseen and unheard in their communities.
Her photography honors untold narratives of American Yemeni women by centering herself in the artwork as a stand-in for those who have chosen to share their stories but remain unphotographed due to cultural taboos surrounding photographing women. She dresses in their garments and takes on their persona through posing, carefully modeling their posture and gestures. Often caught between two cultures, these portraits reflect cultural identity while navigating the patriarchy in the Western world.
Saleh conceals the skin by digitally painting and drawing Yemeni silver jewelry over her photographs, protecting their anonymity and honoring the Islamic belief that Muslims should refrain from creating images that depict life.
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