The Virgin Mary, or Bibi Maryam, is the only woman mentioned by name in the Holy Quran. Part of a series honouring women from the Abrahamic faiths, this work melds reverential iconography of the Madonna with Quranic texts. The artist invokes 13th-century depictions in traditional ultramarine robes to symbolize purity Mary’s role as the queen of heaven[3]. The work is soft and magnanimous in treatment and posture, suggesting openness and abundance, qualities associated with the heavens. Against a backdrop of turquoise sky, Bibi Maryam’s rich robes and face are haloed by a 12-point lotus flower from Islamic geometry. Her traditional representation is contrasted by a lofty invocation from the Quran “Then came the time when the
angels said: ‘O Mary! Behold, Allah has chosen you, and made you pure, and exalted you above all the women in the world” (Holy Quran 3:42). These dualities reflect Bibi Maryam’s unique position of veneration by Muslims and Christians.