Laetitia El Hakim

“Domestication (from the Latin domus,“house”) is the action that man exerts on animals or plants, if only by raising or cultivating them. By appropriating them and using them for his pleasure or the satisfaction of his needs, man transforms them.”

In Lebanon, like almost everywhere in the world, women are still considered second-class citizens, and we are still fighting today for our most basic rights(custody rights, the right to giveLebanese nationality our children, the right to abortion...). Every ounce of freedom a woman gets seems to have been borrowed, not given. Oppressive behaviors against women are mainly due to the religious and sectarian states that govern the country. Laws protecting women and guaranteeing that they can act on their own moral and physical entity are often overlooked and ignored so as not to disrupt the status-quo that exists today.

For almost 30 years now, my mother has compiled a cookbook with recipes borrowed from friends. Throughout my life, she has shown a total lack of interest for cooking. In response to her indifference, my father took over the kitchen. This shift in dynamics in our household, which was a normal sight for me, raised a lot of questions from our surrounding because of the anomaly of this role reversal in our society. My father was never attached to a recipe. He has always evolved freely in the kitchen, manipulating the ingredients according to his desires.On the other hand, my mother was never able to cook without relying on her "borrowed" recipe book.

This project leans on the "borrowed recipes" as a trigger for reflection, attempting to dismantle the limits, guidelines and rules set by instructions and ingredients. 

Domestica (f.) is a work in three chapters that explores the domestication of women through the body (Myths), knowledge (Witches),and being (Women). The first installation of the work is in the form of an artist's book which presents the ideas that will be explored in a more in-depth way through the chapters. 

To view the entire project, please send an email.