"زلفوں کی زنجیر" (Zulfon Ki Zanjeer - Chains of Tresses) 2025

1" motor x 7" braid

Synchronous motor, synthetic hair braid and ghungroo bells

This kinetic installation features multiple motors with synthetic hair braids attached, rotating at an agonizingly slow pace. The work examines how hair from Pakistani women becomes a global commodity, often collected from rural areas where women sell their hair out of economic necessity for minimal compensation while it's resold internationally for hundreds of dollars, and instances of forcible head-shaving as an act of domestic violence and humiliation. The deliberate sluggish movement creates uncomfortable tension, mirroring unseen exploitation in the global hair trade. In South Asian cultures, long hair serves as a fundamental marker of feminine identity; its forcible removal represents a stripping of dignity and social standing. Through this work, the invisible becomes visible: the commodification of women's bodies, cultural erasure, and economic disparities within global beauty industries.