Shirin Neshat: 2002-2005

by Shoja Youssefi Azari

In Shirin Neshat's photographs, Arabic calligraphic script is transcribed over black-and-white depictions of the exposed faces, hands, and feet of Iranian women. In her video works, swarms of women in black hijabs ululate; a man in a white dress shirt and black pants sings to an all-male audience; and a lone, nearly invisible woman chants to herself in a darkened house. Though focused on the particulars of the oppression of women in contemporary Iran, Neshat underscores the relevance of her poetic, disturbing, moving ensembles to a broader culture. Presented here are stills from five of Neshat's recent Tooba (2002), in which a female protagonist wanders through the artist's interpretation of the Garden of Eden; The Last Word (2003), a surreal and disturbing look into the mind of an Iranian woman writer; Mahdokht/I> (2004), Neshat's first feature-length film, set in a magical garden and based on Shahrnoush Parsipour's novella, Women without Men and Zarin (2005).

Genres: Photography

88 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 2005

Reviews

[Shokufeh شکوفه Kavani کاوانی · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw Shirin Neshat works in Sydney and liked some of her works very much........