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.

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