What do Sheenkhālåi and Shaokhālåi mean? And how do these dualities play into your broader work?
Sheen means green, and khaal means dot in Pashto. When used together, the word refers to the traditional tattoos of Afghanistan, usually done on the face. Sheenkhālåi is the Pashto word for women with these tattoos. Shao is the Dari, specifically Kabul slang, for night. Shaokhālåi is a play on the Pashto words, used for women donning my temporary tattoos, “for one night,” based on the sheenkhaal tradition.