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International Veil Series: a celebration of Muslim women's hijabs

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Written by
Mariana Jaureguilorda Beltran Published date
29 September 2021

Ahead of Sara Shamsavari's webinars: Photography and Identity, Art and Isolation and The Modest Fashion, we speak to her about her career and renowned International Veil Series.

Sara’s work explores themes of global identity, inclusion and transformation. Several of her photographic projects, centre around challenging stereotypes and common preconceived judgements based on labels including appearance, culture, religion and sexuality.

Her work has been exhibited internationally for over 20 years in museums and public spaces. Alongside her artistic practice, Sara lectures on art, photography, migration and identity at Central Saint Martins and London College of Fashion.

Diversity, whether in ways of seeing, thinking, or being (including dress), can encourage a society to grow, evolve and become rich in ways beyond material wealth.

— Sara Shamsavari

Internation Veil Series

Sara Shamsavari's Veil series’ highlights young Muslim women across London Paris and New York and the individual expression of their identity as conveyed through their vibrant hijab styles.

Following the debut of London Veil at the Royal Festival Hall in 2013, the response from women across the globe inspired Sara to extend the series to include women in Paris and New York.

Neither a critic nor an advocate of the veil, the series exists to rather recognise and celebrate their participants as strong, vital individuals who manage to shine, despite the struggles of youth, womanhood and prejudice they may receive - especially at a time of division and conflict- as a result of the visibility of their faith.

Sara Shamsavari's street-style portraits capture young women in veils of a dizzying array of colours and fashions. The Iranian-born photographer was inspired to create the pictures, being exhibited to coincide with International Women's Day, to celebrate how the head coverings had led to an outpouring of creativity and originality in the way they are worn.

- The Guardian

Through the documentation of young Muslim women in the world’s fashion capitals and their self-styled hijabs, ranging from subtle to wild in their expression, the series both illustrates and is inspired by the influence of our perceived restrictions, limitations and challenges. These women go forward in conveying their originality, adaptation and the way they transform cultural expression into objects of beauty.

“I began creating portraitures for the Veil Series in London in 2010, the project was quite personal for me because my grandparents were Muslim and my grandmother wore a hijab."

When Women of the World Festival gave her the opportunity to exhibit her Veil Series work it blew up. Women around the world started reaching out to her and the result was a full-blown exhibition at the Southbank Centre in 2015.

“Art has the potential to change perceptions and perspectives as it can reach us in ways that words alone cannot. This passion I have for the pivotal power of the arts to actually make a difference runs through all my courses such as Art Ethics and Social Change, Art, Ageing, Disability and mental Health and my webinars that address similar subjects.”