The Test
Solo Exhibition - The Image Centre
In the multimedia installation The Test, A. Sheikh explores the mental health experiences of eight Queer Muslim individuals through audio interviews set in a majlis. In Arabic, majlis means “sitting room” and, in this context, refers to a particular kind of room characterized by U-shaped floor seating designed to facilitate discussion. In parts of the Middle East, majalis exist in both public and private realms, serving purposes ranging from discussing important political issues, hosting wedding receptions, paying condolences, and receiving guests/socializing. Alienated by Islamophobia and Queerphobia, LGBT2Q+ Muslims lack physical and emotional spaces to authentically be themselves. The Test queers the majlis by imagining a space in which discussions surrounding Queerness, Islam, and mental health can be had, directly challenging deeply rooted cultural and religious taboos. Rooted in the artist’s own experiences, this participatory and autoethnographic project serves as an act of (re)connection, healing, and reclamation.
This exhibition was created as the culmination of my MFA in Documentary Media at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson) with support from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and was part of the DocNow Festival 2024. A visitor guide was published as a part of the exhibition A. Sheikh: The Test, presented at The Image Centre in 2024. View it here.
The Test was produced in the Documentary Media Program (MFA) at Toronto Metropolitan University as part of 2024 Doc Now Festival and draws on research supported by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). I would like to extend a special thank you to the eight participants; this project would not have been possible without your trust and vulnerability. Thank you to Manaal Khan, Noor Awan, Layla, Summeiya Khamissa, Isa Ali and Jada Parada-Hemmings for the artwork, written pieces, and curatorial essay respectively. Thank you to my cohort, my supervisors, and The Image Centre team for helping me bring this project to life. Thank you to Bushra Ahmed for creating a trauma-informed framework for myself and the participants to work within. All images of A. Sheikh: The Test were provided by © Emily Hall, The Image Centre, 2024. To my community: I am alive because of you - thank you for unapologetically being yourselves and inspiring the same in me. The Test is dedicated to Sarah Hegazi and Eden Knight, may you both rest in eternal peace. My deepest gratitude goes to Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.