Tacoma-based international artist Anida Yoeu Ali is performing The Red Chador as part of her ongoing solo exhibition Hybrid Skin, Mythical Presence at the Seattle Asian Art Museum.
Responding to a global rise of Islamophobia, misogyny, and racism, The Red Chador continues Ali’s thematic interest in using religious aesthetics and public encounters to challenge perceptions and fears of otherness. Cloaked in sparkling red sequined chador, or Muslim headdress, the artist engages with the public through a series of small, unplanned interactions that evolve alongside society’s changing political and cultural landscapes. More than simply an item of clothing, The Red Chador is an allegory for the hypervisibility of Muslim women and a means to activate critical conversations on identity.
On Saturday, June 1, The Red Chador will make its triumphant return to Seattle alongside six additional fully-veiled performers in various colors of the rainbow. Together, this colorful brigade of sequined chadoras will walk and wander through the city’s streets in unison, allowing the public to bear witness to the glory, pride, and joy of hijabi women. In this reimagined iteration of The Red Chador, titled The Red Chador: Afterlife, Ali will lead the chadoras in a dazzling procession that reclaims the gaze of the Muslim woman from the rising threat of both Islamophobia and homophobia.
Joining Ali for this performance are Selma Al-Aswad, Sabreen Akhter, Nisreen El-Saadoun, Hiba Jameel, Soraya Sultan Meer, and Yireidi Valencia-Martinez. Each of these women are local to Seattle, non-performers, and identify as a Muslim woman. In their personal lives, these women work as a multi-media artist, youth worker, pediatrician, social worker, community organizer, and public health advocate. The performance will take place both in and outside of the galleries. Admission to the museum grants you access to the in-gallery portion of the performance while all other parts of the performance are free and open to the public.
Follow The Red Chador and her rainbow brigade as they perform in Seattle, linking together the museum's three locations: the Seattle Art Museum, the Olympic Sculpture Park, and the Seattle Asian Art Museum. Please note that times are approximate and may be subject to change.
10–11 am: Seattle Asian Art Museum
11:30–11:45 am: Westlake Center
Noon–12:30 pm: Seattle Center
1–1:30 pm: Olympic Sculpture Park
1:30–2 pm: Seattle Waterfront (Pier 70 to Pier 66)
2:15–2:45 pm: Pike Place Market
3–4 pm: Seattle Art Museum
Performer Bios
Nisreen El-Saadoun is a Baghdad-born, Pacific Northwest native. She is a Muslim, mother, and sister. She earned her Masters of Public Health at the University of Washington and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Washington State University. She was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at the age of 19 and is continuing to learn how to honor her chronic condition, more than 20 years after her diagnosis. She firmly believes in dismantling all forms of oppression and dreams of a greener, safer, and kinder earth.
Hiba Jameel is a Seattle-based artist whose creations explore themes of empowerment, resilience, and complex personal narratives reflecting her Iraqi Muslim immigrant identity. Guided by a potent palette and a courageous spirit, Hiba’s oil paintings, photography, and performances exude a visceral energy, inviting viewers to delve into the depths of human experience.
Soraya Sultan Meer is a social worker and mother of three. Born in Pakistan, raised in London and Amsterdam, she came to the Pacific Northwest in 2016. Soraya has organized aid for earthquake victims in Pakistan, for children in Gaza, and for the victims of hurricane Sandy in Brooklyn. Soraya is passionate about helping people and calling out injustice.
Sabreen Akhter is a parent, pediatrician, storyteller, and humanitarian. She hails from Potawatomi and Hyderabadi lands and now resides on Duwamish lands. Her work involves caring for children who are injured or ill and supporting student and trainee doctors who are interested in health equity and justice. Her life involves raising two joyous children, community care, advocacy for our collective liberation, and continuing to be a seeker.
Selma Al-Aswad is a Palestinian American researcher and community organizer. She is particularly passionate about the intersections of gender justice and other anti-colonial and anti-imperial solidarity struggles within the Palestine liberation movement. Other interests central to Selma’s heart include music, spirituality, Islamic esotericism, and Indigenous and Third World Feminism. She currently organizes with the Palestinian Feminist Collective (PFC) and calls the Duwamish lands known as Seattle home.
Yireidi Valencia Martinez is a Hñähñu woman born in Guadalajara, whose journey led her from Mexico to Florida before settling in Seattle. In 2019, she embraced Islam, drawn by its deep connection to her culture. Fascinated by the social change ecosystem chart, she sees herself as both a weaver and disruptor, connecting and challenging norms. Yireidi is a self-taught artist and organizer who resists defining herself by an occupation, preferring to explore various endeavors without letting them define her identity. Her story is one of cultural richness, resilience, and a commitment to abolitionism for a better and more just world.