In early 20th Century Tunisia, Habiba Messika, a revolutionary showgirl who’s libertine and decolonial lyrics inspired would-be statesmen against French conquest, came to prominence. A popular Tunisian film in the 90s celebrated Messika as an example of Tunisia’s liberal attitude to women and she became a cheerleader of a generation because she did not conform to more traditional values and expectations. Hayoun’s painting celebrates her daring while imagining a “fuller liberation”, one which would see Messika defined in her own terms and not always in relation to men.