Maleeha Samer: Preserving the Holy

Maleeha Samer, a St. Louis-based photographer, showcases a body of work on the sacred moments of a religious pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina. The series highlights the intimacy and serenity that comes from a spiritually exhausting, yet fulfilling journey. The artist comes from a Muslim denomination that is highly persecuted and traveling to certain countries can be unsafe. Taking photographs made Samer more visible and, therefore, at risk. For this reason, each photo was taken with intention and without any room for hesitancy.