Yumna Al-Arashi's 'Body as Resistance' at Huis Marseille

Yumna Al-Arashi's debut solo museum exhibition 'Body as Resistance' is on view at Huis Marseille in Amsterdam until 21 June 2026. The show spans her career, featuring photography, books, and sculpture that challenge the oppression and stereotyping of women, particularly Arab women. Al-Arashi, who grew up in Washington DC during the War on Terror, uses her work to critique how women's bodies have been used to justify geopolitical violence, referencing George W. Bush's 2003 address and the post-9/11 narrative. The exhibition includes works such as 'Axis of Evil' (2020), depicting women from Yemen, Afghanistan, Iran, and Iraq, and 'I Am Whoever You Want Me to Be', a self-portrait that confronts fetishization by altering a burka and referencing Carmen Miranda. Al-Arashi questions standards of beauty and the violent history of photography, aiming to reclaim the tool as liberatory. The show also features the series 'Northern Yemen' (2013–2014), 'Tears for the Future' (2025), and 'Let Me In' (2024–ongoing).