You see yourself, you see yourself”—a line from Jamaica Kincaid’s A Small Place, her searing critique of colonisation and tourism in Antigua—anchors this work. Kincaid’s words expose the fractures between what tourists are allowed to see and the realities that remain concealed. As a Maldivian, from a place marketed globally as a haven of luxury island holidays, I find deep resonance in her provocation.
The beach towel at the centre of this installation carries a repeating pattern drawn from the first public housing commission in the Maldives, built on reclaimed lagoon land near the capital as part of a state-led population consolidation program. While tourists recline on white-sand beaches, Maldivians from outer islands aspire to relocate to the city for access to healthcare and education. Meanwhile, resort islands remain meticulously curated, exclusive enclaves, reinforcing the illusion of an isolated paradise untouched by everyday struggles.
This installation forms part of Real Holidays Travel Agency, an ongoing art and research project interrogating how island destinations are represented and consumed. It critiques the colonial legacies embedded in tourism marketing, questions the privileges of holidaymaking, and unsettles the uneven freedoms to travel for rest and leisure.
