(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - In her art gallery “Memories Wrapped in Gold Paper”, Spanish artist, Lita Cabellut, attempts to surpass stereotypes stressing that all women should be respected whether veiled or not. Cabellut emphasizes that the “head cover” or Hijab expresses individuality, free will, and independence and is similar to the nuns’ or monk’s religious head cover called “habit”.

Lita, in an interview with BBC, discusses how she tried to transcend her status, being raised as a lonely orphan in the streets of old Barcelona, by drawing about women. The female face is a powerful center of expression in her portraits: “ In portraying the faces of Eastern women, I tried to delve deeper and uncover what lies behind a woman’s external beauty, and reflecting the luminous effect of Hijab.” Lita adds: “what motivated me to start my art gallery is the controversy that has started in Europe lately regarding veil, and banning women from wearing Hijab. After long conversations with Muslim women, I came to the conclusion that the head cover is endowed, not only with a religious significance, but also with a cultural one. When you see the portraits I make, women with the veil have a lot of character behind the veil, you still can be a mother, a women who fights for her family. And still have tradition and dignity of tradition and this is what I want to show.”

Lita explains how the West failed to grasp the concept of Hijab, and expresses her objection against the law banning Hijab: “I am against any law that restrains the individual’s freedom and prohibits him from practicing his own beliefs. One must respects the other’s culture and traditions.”

The Spanish artist drew inspiration from veiled Muslim women living in Holland, and refers to them as her “muse.” Lita says: “ In my stay in Holland, I have noticed that there are a great many Muslim  women wearing Hijab, and I have always been drawn to their beauty which emanates through their Hijab. In addition, several of my paintings were inspired by Muslim women from different nationalities. When I asked them if they would accept to pose as models for my paintings, they welcomed the idea since it supports their cause.”

She exclaims: “ Why would a Muslim woman be banned from wearing Hijab while Catholic nuns wear religious habits, some priests cover their heads, and some youth have their noses or faces pierced freely?”

Lita continues to discuss the prominent effect of Islam on the Spanish culture, expressing how the Spanish were lucky, since before the arrival of Muslims in Spain, the latter had no specific culture.

At the end, Lita concluded by saying “ I wish that my exhibition reinforces communication and enhances interaction between distinct cultures. I would like to stress that the head cover does not constitute a barrier to communication but rather a means of practicing one’s religious beliefs.”

Lita Cabellut's 'human-faced' paintings are exposed all around the globe, in New York, Dubai, Miami, Singapore, Hong Kong, Barcelona, London, Paris, Venice, Monaco, Seoul and many more cities.

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