The artwork, Layssa Lilkafani Joyoub, comes from an Arabic expression meaning, “a shroud has no pockets.” This proverb suggests that death abolishes all kinds of material interests. The artwork is presented in the form of folded shroud fabric, placed very simply on a shelf. It evokes a Moroccan tradition in which a shroud is always available in every household, put away somewhere in a cupboard. If a person suddenly dies, he is washed by family members who perfume him before covering the body. The person is then buried on the same day. The shelf on which the shroud of Layssa Lilkafani Joyoub is placed recalls the wood plank used to wash the body. Hung on the wall at an intermediate height, it also evokes the place in the cupboard reserved for the shroud.

Location: French Institute of Fez, Morocco