About Shirin Neshat
The artist was born in 1957 in Iran, her parents were addicted to the western culture and always looked down on their own country, so , in the year 1973, she was sent to United States for college, and this influences her on making this series of artwork, and I will talk about it later.
She is now a contemporary visual artist and lives in New York now. For her artistic achievement, she is famous in her large-scale film installations, videos, and photography. One interesting point is that she likes to do multileveled work which means the artworks involve different meanings. But one common feature of her artworks is that, the focus is always women as she likes to reveal the female inner expression.
She is now a contemporary visual artist and lives in New York now. For her artistic achievement, she is famous in her large-scale film installations, videos, and photography. One interesting point is that she likes to do multileveled work which means the artworks involve different meanings. But one common feature of her artworks is that, the focus is always women as she likes to reveal the female inner expression.
About the background of the artwork
The title, The women in Allah, reveals that this series is related to the Muslim as Allah is the one that the Muslim believe in. In 1979, an Islamic, revolution happened in the artist’s homeland Iran, the whole place are forced to under control by the Muslim belief. The artist thought that it is invading people freedom and felt very stunned when she went back to her homeland in 1990. So she decided to use an artwork series in respond to the ridiculous rules happened in Iran, especially for the veiling. (That means their black cloth) In fact, this series is her first body art photography series and made her become very famous later.
The Artwork
Offered Eyes (Occhi offerti), 1993
Offered Eyes (Occhi offerti), 1993
Rebellious Silence (Silenzio ribelle), 1994
Faceless (Senza volto), 1994
Story of Martyrdom (Storie di martirio), 1994
Guardians of Revolution (Guardiani della rivluzione), 1994
Bonding (Collegamento), 1995
Faith (Fede), 1995 
Seeking Martyrdom #2 (Alla ricerca del martirio n.2), 1995
Spechless (Senza parole), 1996
Untitled (Senza titolo), 1996
Untitled (Senza titolo), 1996
Whispers (Sussurri), 1997Meaning of the work
Religious meaning
First of all, in the religious aspect, the artist challenges the concept of martyrdom, she especially put the gun together with the Muslim women to create a feeling of death and dangerous in order to let you think is it worth to death for your religious, also in her another photo, faith is something you can find in religious, but when that religious called you for martyrdom, is there anymore faith? And so, this kind of photos is challenging the religious fanaticism.
Cultural meaning
For the cultural meaning, she challenges the Western people for not understanding the Iran women, of coz when you see a Iran women, some western people would think that they have the eastern beauty which is mysterious and attractive. The feeling is they need protection. But the artist especially write some calligraphy on the only visible part of the women to show that the western only see their beauty but not undersetand (juz like looking at different langusage) it creates a cross cultural problem.
Sexual meaning
For sexual, this artwork reveals a strong sense of how we look at female, in the photos, we can see only the face of the women but we know that she is a woman, it is because we learn form the society and we know that the Iran women are look like that, and so we create the associated feeling for example beauty and weak, the artist uses this to challenge the contemporary gender role, she was not like the western artist who like to use smth for reveal the female characteristic, but use something for hidden them, it is to show that every female is different.
Political meaning
For political meaning, as Muslim are later related to the terroristic attack, some people related Iran women with fear and dangerous, so the artist used gun to be one of the symbol of protection and resistance to the ruler. It is to show that that are strong.
Question to think
If the calligraphy is put separately with the female body (maybe just written on a paper next to the women), in what extend do you think it will affect the ultimate purpose of the artwork?
My opinion
•Strongly affected
•A strong feeling of linking up if they are in the same part
•Also it creates strong sense of shocking when the calligraphy are put on female bodies
•Body gestures help a lot
1 comment:
Thanks for the pics. but take an English writing course! Your words are very hard to understand-thus you are not making your point(s) come across constructively! Best of luck w/ this!
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