Ilana Alazzeh

Washington, D.C. based videographer | photographer | makeup artist | multimedia artist | performer | activist Buy prints here. Facebook. Bio. Interested in being photographed or commissioning a piece of art or video? Contact.

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Tia Versatility Blake is the Galaxy Queen Photography/MUA/Style: Ilana's Art #ilanasart

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Happy Friday the 13th! EvilArtForm.com

MUA/Photography: Ilana Alazzeh// Ilana's Art Model/Stylist: Omar Pitras Waqar for his project Evilartform Earrings: Vintage from Dragonfly Vintage DC

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DRAWING AFRO ASIAN FUTURISM ‪#‎MIXEDFUTURES‬ by: Ilana's Art // Ilana Alazzeh Music: The Dope Steppa MK2

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Happy Birthday Aisha! Yesterday I did a photoshoot with this gorgeous person celebrating her confidence, joy, hardship and self confidence. So honored to capture this soul. Can't wait to see how huge your heart and life grows in the next five years heart emoticon ‪#‎ilanasart‬

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"Is it love or my ego that I cry for in dreams?" English Ghazal Written, Performed with Sitar and Recitated by Omar Pitras Waqar with Ilana Alazzeh on Tanpuri and Drone Vocals

Thank you Bathtub Republic and Marian McLaughlin For booking inquiries email: [email protected] ‪#‎SouthAsianFuturism‬

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Diverse crowd comes out to the #OurThreeBrothers Vigil held in Washington DC commemorating the three victims from Sudanese immigrant families: 23-year-old Mohamedtaha Omar, 20-year old Adam Mekki and 17-year-old Muhammad Tairab. 

Photos by Ilana’s Art

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Iota night club: Arlington, VA

January 30, 2016

DriveTFC 11:50 - 12:30 Fellowcraft 11:00 - 11:40 Evilartform 10:10 - 10:50 Phil Rossi 9:20 - 10:00 Steve Bowes 8:30 - 9:10

Steve Bowes http://www.pharmacyprophets.com/

Phil Rossi http://www.philrossi.net/

Evilartform https://www.facebook.com/EvilArtForm/

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by ilana

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Promo video produced, shot and edited for DC based indie band Sarmust.

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we will win.

to those who have been told they are too femme, too dirty, too queer to be loved, to be spiritual, to be embraced–we will win.

—

Background: there’s a common tradition that says when someone is on their period they are not ‘ritually pure’ and they not allowed to touch the Qur'an. not all muslims believe in having a period makes you ritually impure but the tradition is enough to make people feel self conscious and guilty for how God made them. there are many different religious traditions that talk about when someone is on their period that they are ritually impure like Judaism. I’m not here for that.

Since water can’t reach the nails nailpolish is often an indication that someone is on their period.

winning is also in reference to the chapter or passage called “the victory” in the Qur'an.

I want my Islam–as I know Allah already does– to embrace the divorcees, the sex workers, the drag queens, the homeless, the undocumented, the beauty of black and brown skin, the differently abled, the trans man who fears judgement when entering a gendered entrance to a masjid, the immigrant mom who stigmatizes the therapy she needs and thinks she can pray it away, the guy that struggles to find time for self care because he’s at a min wage job trying to make ends meet, that person told that they can’t touch God’s word because they have their menses…..

I don’t want my Islam–or your Islam–your spirituality–your life! to be wholly determined by some book educated, white/Arab, mildly attractive man who tells us to “pray the shaytan away” instead of uninstalling the oppression that made us unwell in the first place, obeying laws that serve an ideal and not humans, manifesting us being in a zombie state and continuing the cycle of trauma and ignoring that the injury even happened.

and i really don’t want my spirituality to be a vehicle to continue that cycle of hurt and pain.

ilanasart.com

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we will win.

to those who have been told they are too femme, too dirty, too queer to be loved, to be spiritual, to be embraced--we will win. 

[ilanasart]

“Om is not just a sound or vibration. It is not just a symbol. It is the entire cosmos, whatever we can see, touch, hear and feel. Moreover, it is all that is within our perception and all that is beyond our perception. It is the core of our very existence. If you think of Om only as a sound, a technique or a symbol of the Divine, you will miss it altogether. Om is the mysterious cosmic energy that is the substratum of all the things and all the beings of the entire universe. It is an eternal song of the Divine. It is continuously resounding in silence on the background of everything that exists.” ― Amit Ray, Om Chanting and Meditation

art by ilana

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“The most important kind of freedom is to be what you really are. You trade in your reality for a role. You trade in your sense for an act. You give up your ability to feel, and in exchange, put on a mask. There can't be any large-scale revolution until there's a personal revolution, on an individual level. It's got to happen inside first.” ― Jim Morrison

art by ilana

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model/makeup/hair/wardrobe: ilana

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Please do not remove: 

Artist statement: I have many beautiful friends who want to be photographed–seen, loved, admired and other friends who are too afraid to even express this desire. Both types are in this on-going series. After some coaxing people show expressions– they see a glimpse of the person they always wanted to be/ a beauty they forgot they have and/or a side they never knew. Trans, queer and cis self identified people are mixed up in this series but all are challenging heteronormativity and gender.  

Models [in order of appearance]: André Jênnïngs, Shawn Bryant, Sara Haq, Omar Pitras Waqar.

Photographer: Ilana Alazzeh IG: ilanasart #ilanasart

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