Shirin Neshat, Rapture
07.23.2002 - 01.19.2003
Iranian-born artist Shirin Neshat (Qazin, Iran, 1957) has been living in New York since 1974. Neshat's photographs and videos take an in-depth look at the complexity of the Islamic culture, suggesting the tensions that exist between collective cultural identity and the expression of individual freedom, while at the same time dealing with universal themes that are transferable to our own culture.
Poetry and beauty, inherent to Islamic tradition and central to its spirituality, are conveyed from her first photographs to more her recent installations counteracting the political and social impact of her images.
Filmed in Morocco, Rapture consists of two major opposing projections, separating and visually polarising men and women. The recurrent rhythm established between the two films creates a lyrical dialogue based on a subtle interaction revolving around the inequalities between genders and the censorship of social order.
Shirin Neshat
Passage, 2001
Color video and sound installation
11 min, 30 sec
Edition 5/6
Dimensions variable
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York
Purchased with funds contributed by Dakis Joannou and by the International Director’s Council and Executive Committee members: Ann Ames, Edythe Broad, Elaine Terner Cooper, Dimitris Daskalopoulos, Harry David, Ulla Dreyfus-Best, Gail May Engelberg, Nicki Harris, Ronnie Heyman, Dakis Joannou, Barbara Lane, Linda Macklowe, Peter Norton, Willem Peppler, Tonino Perna, Elizabeth Rea Richebourg, Denise Rich, Simonetta Seragnoli, David Teiger, and Elliot K. Wolk 2001.70
© Shirin Neshat