The veil is controversial, of course. In July, I wrote a blog post about the tensions in France over its recent burqa ban, and of Belphegor, the mysterious anti-hero of literature, film and television whose impenetrable disguise allowed her to stalk the corridors of the Louvre at night and evade capture by the authorities.

Paris now has its own 21st Century Belphagor. Princess Hijab is the anonymous graffiti artist who has painted veils onto fashion posters around the Paris Metro.

“The veil has many hidden meanings,” she tells Angelique Chrisafis in today’s Guardian. “It can be as profane as it is sacred, consumerist and sanctimonious. From Arabic Gothicism to the condition of man. The interpretations are numerous and of course it carries great symbolism on race, sexuality and real and imagined geography.”

Click here to see some of Princess Hijab’s work and click here for the interview.