Neshat Post

The first thing that stuck out to me about Shirin Neshat is she embodies the word “artist” in many different ways – as a photographer, videographer, and most recently as a filmmaker. Neshat, a native of Iran, has lived in the United States for over 30 years. Her different forms of artwork are clearly impacted by her Iranian heritage and views on identity (more specifically gender).

The New York Times interview with Neshat depicted her as a very motivated woman, full of ideas stemmed from her personal experience as both an immigrant and woman. Though I have not seen her film “Women Without Men”, Neshat’s interview illustrates it as both a politically and historically charged film with elements of fantasy. A comment I found incredibly insightful was her belief that “most of the women’s problem are not men, but the larger social, political, and religious structure of the culture they live in.” The comment made me ponder on American society and its perception of feminism. I realized how women have historically (and even today) been treated is a reflection of how the United State culture operates in terms of media, politics, and religion. In order to change how women are viewed, the system (media, politics, and religious components) need to be restructured.

When studying Neshat’s artwork, I found it very haunting. Many of the photographs show women staring right at the viewer, with a still look. The viewer can feel their repressed silence through the photographs. By being in black and white, the photos are more effective in conveying raw emotion. The most daunting photo for me personally is the group of women all staring at the viewer without any sign of emotion in their faces.

Neshat’s photo reminded me of Dorthea Lange’s famous photography from the Great Depression. More specifically, the evocative photo “The Migrant Mother.”