Baya Mahieddine – born Fatima Haddad, and known simply as Baya – was a self-taught Algerian artist whose creative practice extended over six decades. Her original work defies art-historical categorisation, and she herself humorously referred to her practice as Baya-ism. Baya is best known for her vibrant depictions of paradises occupied exclusively by women in ornate dresses. Her female characters appear bold and spirited, and often look directly at the viewer with their prominent, almost audaciously contoured eyes. They are usually engaged in congenial pursuits, such as playing musical instruments, carrying vases of harvested fruit or admiring butterflies. Femme à la Robe Rose (1945) is one of Baya’s earliest works, having been executed when the artist was only 14 years of age. Describing her own compositions as “dreamscapes”, Baya infuses them with luminous colour and bustling patterns, rendering the world through a playful, imaginary lens. Steeped in memories of her childhood, Baya’s work offered an idyllic respite from an oftentimes difficult reality of her own life.
—Suheyla Takesh
