I will begin with my discussion of Neshat with her pictures and then discuss the Q&A. Her pictures were really interesting, as I have never viewed art from a Muslim woman before. The picture with the woman’s hand to her lips with the tattoo is simultaneously peaceful and provocative. I found her Q&A in the New York Times to be fascinating also. It was really interesting to hear her talk about her movie, art, and life. By the end of it I was extremely curious about what her movie was like. Luckily there’s a clip at the bottom that I watched. I’m not sure if you need to be more familiar with Muslim or Iranian culture to understand the clip or entire movie, but I was very confused. I didn’t really understand what she was doing or what happened when all the praying men looked up to see her standing there. Nonetheless I would be curious to see the entire movie because there was something intriguing about it.
In terms of the picture I posted, I posted this because it seems relevant to Neshat’s struggles as well as contemporary debates. Some people feel that hijabs are oppressive since they require women to cover themselves. Meanwhile, others feel that they are liberating because they wear them by choice and the idea is you are refusing to let yourself be objectified (as I understand it from conversations I’ve had with Muslims – I’m no expert).
Jeremy, when you were looking at Neshat's photographs, did you sense the empowerment to women that she was trying to portray? I ask because her film and many of her images are against the hypocrisy and the "evil" within her Islamic world, do you feel that message is being sent out as well?
ReplyDeleteI think the picture you chose is definitely relevant to Neshat's struggles in that she is trying to break down the negative stereotypes a lot of the world (but mostly the United States) has on certain groups and societies, such as Muslims and people from the Middle-East.
ReplyDeleteI second Lidia in asking if you sensed the empowerment in Neshat's images. while I do agree that your image does fit with the struggles Iranian women face all over the world, and her images do radiate peace and provocativeness, the women in your image are fighting, or standing up for, their beliefs. The women that Neshat photographed seemed to be past trying to convince people of their beliefs. They are at peace. They follow their Iranian traditions proudly but peacefully, and that is what I think is beautiful and provocative.
ReplyDeleteThough I have not seen the movie myself, it should most definitely make more sense to you when you actually watch the whole thing. That way you get the whole story and the context of that scene. I too think it would be interesting to see the movie that was created by this artist.
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