Artwork #12: "My Wounded Wings at the Gate of Dreams"
By Aisyah Dzakira Khansa Al-Ishmata
Artwork Description:
Beneath a sky painted with the colors of hope, two young girls soar joyfully toward a magnificent gate of dreams that stands among the clouds. Their wings are fully spread, symbolizing a journey toward a boundless future.
But on the hard, rocky ground below, a small girl with white wings and wearing a hijab gazes up at the sky with eyes full of hope. One of her wings is severed, cut by a giant pair of scissors labeled “DISCRIMINATION.” She longs to fly, but the world has yet to give her the space to rise into the sky.
This piece is a gentle whisper of the injustice that still wounds the dreams of those who are different. It is a call to the world to open the gates of education to all, regardless of belief or identity.
Through this painting, I want to tell a story: that every child, no matter who they are, should be free to chase their dreams while staying true to their identity.
“The freedom to learn and dream is the right of every child, without conditions, without discrimination.”
Meaning and Message:
In a land known for its warm smiles and kind greetings, there are stories often left unheard: stories of young girls carrying bags full of dreams, only to be stopped at the school gate, simply because they wear the hijab.
They do not come to rebel, nor to defy. They come only to learn, to sit in the same classroom, to hold books, to raise their hands with excitement.
They seek nothing more than the same chance to study in public schools. No more, no less.
Yet, the hijab on their heads is seen as a burden, a barrier, as though they are strangers in their homeland.
Some are forced to remove their identity at the school gate, their eyes filled with tears, their hearts asking:
"What did I do wrong by choosing to cover myself?"
Others remain silent, quietly bearing the pain—because for them, preserving dignity is part of faith, and that faith cannot be traded for a school uniform.
Bali... this paradise we all love—can it truly be paradise if it's only for those in uniform conformity?
Isn’t diversity our richness? Shouldn’t our smiles be stronger than our prejudices?
I—and all the hijab-wearing girls—just want to learn. We want to grow into doctors, teachers, scientists, and artists who bring love to our nation.
We don’t come to divide; we come in peace, with a simple dream: to learn without having to remove our faith.
And one day, I hope we all understand that what makes someone worthy of sitting in a classroom is not their uniform or appearance,
But their heart that dares to dream and their mind that thirsts for knowledge.
May this land, especially our beloved Bali, truly become a home for all children of the nation, free from conditions on clothing, free from conditions on belief.