The Hoopoe bird appears in a number of works by Malallah, whether painted, drawn in pen and ink or appearing as taxidermy. The Hoopoe inspires Malallah for a number of reasons, and has both religious and secular associations for the artist. The Hoopoe bird is native to Asia, Africa and parts of Europe, and has been depicted in art and literature since ancient times. Due to its crown-like crest, it has often been described as a leader or king of birds. The Hoopoe bird (hudhud in Arabic) is also important in Islamic tradition, because it appears in a number of religious texts, most notably in the Holy Qur’an. It has been seen throughout history as sacred, wise and protective.

     Malallah has also extensively researched the appropriation of the Biblical Dove and olive branch as a secular symbol for peace. The use of Picasso’s Dove of Peace (La Colombe de la Paix, 1949) as a symbol of pacifism worldwide has resulted in associations beyond the religious. In Malallah’s work, she replaces the Dove with the Hoopoe, which reframes the bird and olive branch motif to represent not peace but survival through destruction. There is, however, an inherent irony with the use of taxidermied, dead Hoopoe birds to represent the idea of survival. It is almost as if the empty bodies of expired birds represent the hollow emptiness associated with survivor guilt.

     Malallah relates to the Hoopoe bird because of its historic association with moral and spiritual guidance, and legends of dangerous journeys undertaken by the bird, often inviting others to share in the experience. The artist equates these journeys to her own artistic journey, in which she undertakes to seek the truth in order to survive. In her work, the Hoopoe has become a symbol of survival itself.

Louisa Macmillan, October 2014