Shirin Neshat

I respect Shirin Neshat because she does artwork which criticizes her own religion.  She criticizes certain aspects while maintaining her following of Islam.  Her aim is to create tolerance between the West and the Middle East.  This political artwork is a great way to stand up and show her ideas.  It really makes people think about the message she is trying to convey. Even though many people would consider her artwork to be very feminist it is surprising that she does not mean to portray them as such.  She supports the movement but is strong in saying she only wants to respect each other’s rights and space. This is interesting because I think that many people interpret her work to have a strong sense of feminism.  I think that the difference of cultures is shown in our opinions of the artwork. Women in the West will have a much different view of Neshat’s artwork than women from the Middle East.  Even the men of both areas will interpret her artwork very differently.  I think it is interesting that even the interview mentioned that the movie portrayed men as oppressors, rapists and thugs. She seems to be trying to get people to think about everything and not just focus the negative within her work. I chose to do one of Vanessa Beecroft’s pieces because it reminded me of Neshat’s artwork.  Even though it is very different, it made me think of Neshat’s work because of the way the male and female were standing.