Friday, November 23, 2012

Exiled.



I’ve dedicated this blog to the artist Shirin Neshat. She is an Iranian artist that I have taken particular interest in as she uses her artwork effectively as a form of media in communicating with her audience. She captures me as an artist because of the powerful messages she is able to convey in all her pieces by connecting her audience with the images she creates along with the techniques she uses in order to do so. In particular, I find her photography intriguing and the Arabic calligraphy that she incorporates into her pieces adds a great depth to the meaning of each piece.
            In 1974, at the age of 17, Shirin left Iran and moved to America in order to complete her education. In 1979, Iran had its Islamic Revolution, which prevented her from visiting Iran for about 20 years. Personally, I almost feel as if Shirin being exiled was somewhat bittersweet. I would never want to be stopped from visiting the country I was born and raised in, but Shirin used this longing to be in Iran, the love for her country along with her conflicting feelings of the Iranian government and the way Iranian women are treated, in order to create such powerful pieces that leave strong impressions on her audience.

(214 words) 

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Way in Way Out.




Way in Way Out was part of the Women of Allah series that Neshat created right after her visit to Iran after being exiled due to the Islamic Revolution in 1979 (MET). There is a veiled woman in this piece, who looks to be praying with a gun positioned right next to her. There is Arabic calligraphy on her white veil, which reads: “Give a hand so I can hold a hand…” and this is perhaps a representation of the Iranian women and how the revolution had taken away from the meaning of being a woman in their own country. Shirin’s pieces were created in order to show the West of her own views of Iran and the events that had occurred, and using Arabic calligraphy helped express the idea that the women wanted to play a more significant role in Iran. This photograph, along with the whole series is all in black and white and when combined with the Arabic calligraphy, these photos look as if they belong in the newspaper, and this shows how Shirin is aware of the powerful role the media plays in showing the world of the significant events occurring, especially in her country. The woman in this image is in a white veil and is in a praying position, which expresses the purity and holiness of the woman but the gun lying next to her strongly contradicts this image of purity. It shows that although Iranian women are expected to behave a certain way and to remain somewhat anonymous especially when dealing with politics, there are many women who want their voices to be heard. The contradiction between the gun and the image of purity perhaps shows how the media only shows the world half of the story, which is the half they want the world to see. Shirin’s art is the other half of Iran’s story that the world is unable or even prevented from seeing. 

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

The Book of Kings.






The Book of Kings photographic series was exhibited at Gladstone Gallery in New York in early 2012. It consists of a number of black and white photographs of the Arab youth, patriots and followers of the Arab Spring. The Arabic calligraphy written on the faces were passages from the ancient epic Shahnameh, written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi, which included stories of epic uprisings (Kisa). By including these passages in the photographs, Shirin was able to draw a parallel between the present uprisings in the Middle East and the past and how it seems to be an endless cycle of violence and peace (Kisa). Using the particular faces of the Arab Spring gives the audience a special connection to the images and somewhat reveals a powerful message to her main audience, the West, that the youth are more patriotic than ever, and are willing to fight for their rights. Using these faces along with the powerful passages show that there are strong movements taking place in her country as well as the Middle East in order to gain their rights as individuals. The media tends to focus on the violence and the negativity that has resulted from the Arab Spring, but Shirin reveals a positive aspect of the uprising and the hope the Arab youth and patriots have given her country.  

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Turbulent.



Turbulent, made by Shirin Neshat in 1998, consists of two black-and-white videos, which were shown on opposite walls during its exhibition (Jacobson). In one video, a male performer sings a Persian love song with his back to the audience, making it look as if he were singing to the veiled female performer in the other video. Once his performance ends, he ignores his audience and directs his attention to the female performer who begins singing in the same auditorium but with no audience. Instead of singing lyrics, she sings powerful melodies that represent loss and emptiness with each note. Shirin made this film in order to show the inequality between genders in Iran. It reveals how Iranian women are trapped and are prevented from expressing themselves artistically due to the Shiite Muslim laws in Iran. She is able to show the isolation that the women of Iran are forced to face everyday in their own country. There is a clear distinction between the rights of an Iranian man and woman, and she clearly expresses this by making the woman sing lamented cries, as she is not allowed to perform with real lyrics or even perform at all. This film expresses Shirin’s sadness for the women of her country who are forced to suppress their thoughts and ideas. Shirin’s art and projects makes her audience aware that not all individuals have the same freedom seen in the West.