Daughter of the East: Ladybugs; Untitled (Dragon Woman); Untitled (Golden Woman); Untitled (Dark Woman); and Untitled (Weeping Woman) from the Dirty Pretty Series

2008

Daughter of the East: Ladybugs; Untitled (Dragon Woman); Untitled (Golden Woman); Untitled (Dark Woman); and Untitled (Weeping Woman) from the Dirty Pretty Series, 2008. Ambreen Butt (Pakistani, b. 1969), Peter Pettengill (American, b. 1955), Wingate Studio. Set of 5 prints: color etching, aquatint, spit bite aquatint, and drypoint on chine collé; 45.7 x 33 cm (18 x 13 in.); 63.5 x 48.3 cm (25 x 19 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Jane B. Tripp Charitable Lead Annuity Trust 2017.197 Daughters of the East is a suite of five etchings that arose from the artist’s return to Pakistan for the first time in 12 years. The series explores her emotional reaction to the event referred to as the Siege of Lal Masjid (or Red Mosque) in Islamabad, which occurred July 3–11, 2007. Butt’s print suite is based on press images from the event that showed female students of the mosque participating in active protests. The prints isolate women from the press images, focusing on their vulnerability, violence, strength, and resilience. Evoking Persian manuscript illuminations, Butt employs vibrant yet harmonious colors and soothing repetitive patterns, creating beauty amid complicated and difficult narratives.