It was ambiguous at first, whether she was praying or washing clothes.

This anticipated ritual became a reassuring sight, as it gave me a sense of peace and a resolve between exiting a dream and the start of a new morning. My mother used a wooden scrubbing board to wash clothes, it was a daily chore in a house full of kids.

I remember my mother’s shiny hands from the repeated movements of washing the clothes, which seemed to polish the surface of the wooden board, thus creating niches for the memories that I still revere about my mother’s dedication to her family.

Faith is intrinsic to life, an oath to care and honour. It is a duty that upholds and fulfils responsibilities by manifesting as a strength, which reveals itself in all aspects of society.
Both my mother’s religious devotion and family duties were interwoven to become a personal promise. The commitment of washing the clothes converted to a prayer, before the daily prayer.

The installation box (featured) houses a journey of life’s devotion. My artwork is a tribute to my mother who passed away years ago in Morocco – may she rest in eternal peace.

Devotion 2020 – Fatima Killeen
Washing boards, collograph prints, soap bars
98 x 68 (L) x 16 (D) cm
Photographs by Yasmine Killeen
Arabic: “And the only defeater is God”