The Burning Oud Abaya

The Abaya is a black, flowing cloak traditionally worn by women in the Gulf and other regions. Typically made from polyester or crepe silk, its black dye was historically derived from petroleum. The Thobe, a garment worn by men, is a white, floor-length robe with a collar and cuffs.

The abaya and thobe are iconic cultural garments that remain underrepresented in wider discussions of identity. Their association with personal sacredness often creates a resistance to engage with them beyond fashion. The Burning Oud Abaya retains the core form of these garments while opening them to both personal and collective lived experience.

Oud, formed within Aquilaria trees as a response to wounding, carries a tension between fragility and value. This act of scarring becomes a point of reflection — where material transformation mirrors human experience. Traditionally burned in moments of reverence and ritual, oud here becomes something else: a vessel for mourning, for what is lost, and for what remains unspoken.

The work originates from a vivid dream of an abaya covered in oud wood chips and consumed by fire. This image connects to a long-buried memory of a woman whose life ended in fire, shaped by silence and societal pressure. The burning oud becomes a point of connection between human grief and the wounded tree.

Across the series, the abayas become monumental garments navigating states of destruction, loss, resistance, renewal, and transformation.

Life Stages

The abaya moves across sites and conditions, shifting in state and meaning.

• Plain Abaya — Film (Birth)

• Doha — First Appearance

• London — Circulation

• Qatar Island — Pre-Exhibition State

• ASBAR — Spatial Activation

• Qatar — Care / End of Life / Healing