This is one of the photographs currently on display at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art—as part of an exhibition spotlighting works by female artists making statements about women in the Islamic world. Our favourite is by Kazakh artist Almagul Menlibayeva and titled ‘Red Butterfly’. Apart from the beauty of the image, we also love its description: 

Menlibayeva’s model stands before the mausoleum of Aisha Bibi, built around the 12th century, near Taraz, Kazakhstan. She wears layers of red fabric and several traditionally male headdresses, like a chrysalis ready to burst from her patriarchal cocoon.

The other paintings in the exhibit are over at The Guardian. If you want more on the image, Sotheby’s unpacks its many layers of meaning.