Listen to My Words presents an immersive installation that combines hand embroidered silk panels with moving voices of women reciting poetry. It draws from an overlooked and still limitedly documented tradition of female poets in the Islamic world, including poems from the pre-Islamic times through the 12th century. The poems and poetesses hail from a wide range of cultures within the Arab world and explore the themes of love and longing which are also generally considered taboo subjects.

The presence of geometric layered panels throughout this work references the ‘Jali’ screen, which is characteristic of the Islamic tradition and more specifically in this piece, Mughal India, and they were typically used to shield and protect women from the male gaze. In this case the artist has reinvented these screens by using embroidery in collaboration with craftsman in India, and has chosen a specific stitch called ‘Aari’ which derived from the Mughal period. Awartani was more specifically inspired by a figure named Nourjehan who was the wife of a Mughal Emperor and she partook a leading yet hidden role in governing the state while being forced to sit behind a Jali screen, whispering commands into her husband’s ear.

The work juxtaposes theory and execution, as the space is one that evokes serenity and contemplation interjected with radical words within the space. The recitation of the poetry is done in its original language of Arabic, using the voices of modern day Saudi women who embody the spirits of these forgotten poetesses, strong, empowered and inspirational.