Provenance

The Linda Givon Collection.

Notes

‘Neshat portrays the alienation of women in repressive Muslim societies by interrogating the role reserved for women within Islamic value systems. She employs poetic imagery to engage with themes of gender and society, the individual and the collective, and the dialectical relationship, between past and present through the experiences of belonging and exile.’¹

This powerful and evocative work by Shirin Neshat is a significant piece from her acclaimed Turbulent Series (1998). The work was featured in the From Tehran with Love² exhibition and fundraising auction at the Magic of Persia (MOP) Foundation in February 2020 and formed part of a special New York Magazine cover project³, celebrating the magazine’s 50th anniversary.

Turbulent Series (1998) dramatises gender inequality in Iran, highlighting the stark absence of women in the public sphere. Through a vocal duel between a male singer and a female vocalist, the work juxtaposes a traditional love song performed to an all-male audience, against hauntingly beautiful improvisations by the female singer in an empty hall. This contrasts male and female, public and private, tradition and modernity, and reveals how women express freedom amidst repression and challenge rigid patriarchal systems.

Shirin Neshat is an acclaimed Iranian artist and filmmaker born in 1957 in Qazvin, Iran. After moving to the United States in the late 1970s, she earned her BA in Fine Arts from the University of California, Berkeley (1979), followed by an MFA from the same institution in 1982. Neshat's work explores themes of identity, gender, and cultural conflict, particularly within the context of Islamic culture.

She gained international recognition for her striking photography and video installations, which often feature women in contrasting roles of strength and vulnerability. Notable works include the series Women of Allah, addressing the complexities of femininity and Islamic identity, and her award-winning films like Turbulent (winner of the 1999 Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale) and Women Without Men (winner of the 2009 Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival). Throughout her career, Neshat has been a prominent voice in contemporary art, challenging stereotypes and inspiring dialogue on culture and identity.

¹ Magic of Persia Foundation, From Tehran with Love, online sale catalogue, online, https://issuu.commagicofpersia/docs/from_tehran_with_love_final_digital_version_lr 13 February 2020.
² Ibid.
³ Culture Corps (no date) New York Magazine 50 Covers Project, online, https://www.culturecorps.com/ny-magazine-50-covers, accessed 30 September 2024.