Shirin Neshat
Shirin Neshat
Shirin Neshatis an Iranian visual artist who lives in New York City, known primarily for her work in film, video and photography. Her artwork centers on the contrasts between Islam and the West, femininity and masculinity, public life and private life, antiquity and modernity, and bridging the spaces between these subjects. Neshat has been recognized countless times for her work, from winning the International Award of the XLVIII Venice Biennale in 1999, to winning the Silver Lion for best director...
NationalityIranian
ProfessionScreenwriter
Date of Birth26 March 1957
CityQazvin, Iran
Beautiful woman wrapped in chadors, with huge machine guns in their hands. Brilliant, shocking, amazingly contradictory images. They compelled me to deeply investigate these ideas.
Every Iranian artist, in one form or another, is political. Politics have defined our lives.
I find that through the study of women, you get to the heart - the truth - of the culture.
Part of me has always resisted the Western clichéd image of Muslim women, depicting them as nothing more than silent victims. My art, without denying repression, is a testimony to unspoken female power and the continuing protest in Islamic culture.
Art is our weapon. Culture is a form of resistance.