Orina Zada

Late

I was born and raised in a Mizrachi religious home. The blend of Persian tradition and Jewish religious values was and still is an integral part of my home. The socio-public dimension intertwines with the intimate and emotional bond I share with my parents and with my mother in particular. In the religious community, late bachelorhood is perceived as failure. Social pressure is especially exerted on women who become more rejected as their perceived value declines, often leading them into a passive waiting state. Hence I find myself at the public Graveyard of the Righteous, fervently praying for a decent match. I photograph my parents' house and the graveyard as two separate focal points. Over time, I came to realize that the space of the Tombs of the Righteous and my parents home hold some cultural and visual similarities. In the intimate space of the home, I produce an encounter between my mother’s and my own body. My mother embodies the patriarchal relations of the Persian tradition and Jewish religion together with what is expected of me as a woman. In order to comply with her expectations and conform myself to the conservative view of the woman as housewife, I straighten my hair and wear her modest clothes. But also, I reframe my mother within the homely space I create for us both.