Shirin Neshat: Facing History

Shirin Neshat, still from Munis, 2008. © Shirin Neshat. Courtesy Gladstone Gallery, New York and Brussels

MAY 18-SEP 20, 2015 (Second Level)
In her mesmerizing films and photographs, Shirin Neshat (Iranian-American, b. Qazvin, 1957) examines the nuances of power and identity in the Islamic world—particularly in her native country of Iran, where she lived until 1975. Shirin Neshat: Facing History presented an array of Neshat’s most compelling works, illuminating the points at which cultural and political events have impacted her artistic practice. Included were the “Women of Allah” photographs that catapulted the artist to international acclaim in the 1990s; lyrical video installations, which immerse the viewer in imagery and sound; and two monumental series of photographs, The Book of Kings (2012) and Our House Is on Fire (2013), created in the wake of the Green Movement and the Arab Spring. Commenting on freedom and loss, Neshat’s deeply humanistic art is at once personal, political, and allegorical.

Media Sponsor: Artnet

Catalogue