Maryam Yousif

The ceramic handbag is a recurring motif in Yousif’s practice. While fashion is important to the artist, she borrows the notion of the cosmic handbag, meant to hold the knowledge of the world, from Sumerian and Assyrian art. In Cosmic Handbag Figurine: Out of Body Experience, the handbag is fused with a figurine. The sets of blue eyes are a reference to Sumerian sculptures placed in temples to serve as proxies for the worshippers: the large eyes symbolized the ability to better see the gods. These feature pupils made of inlaid lapis lazuli, a semiprecious stone known for its distinctive intense blue color.

Many of Yousif’s sculptures are contemporary interpretations of ancient objects from Mesopotamia, partly located in present-day Iraq, where the artist was born and raised. In Brati’s Throne, Yousif has installed many figurines, including the eponymous Brati, at the top, wearing couture Viktor & Rolf, as well as cosmic handbags and palm trees, on a stepped platform resembling a ziggurat, or Mesopotamian temple. The sculptures are contemporary artifacts that combine ancient forms and symbolism with playful renderings and haute couture.

Yousif’s work honors the women who have influenced her throughout her life—from family members such as her mother to pan-Arab pop stars and Queen Puabi, an ancient Sumerian queen believed to have ruled on her own more than three thousand years ago. The artist’s figurines are effigies of strong women who are also nurturing and supportive of each other. In Infinity Strength, she has quite literally depicted a woman sustaining another woman on her head.

Typical of Yousif’s practice, Habibti Herself depicts a woman with a tender expression in a blue dress with pink ruffles, carrying a tiny cosmic handbag. Habibti means “my love” in Arabic.