Curated by Diego Sileo and Beatrice Benedetti
The first large solo exhibition in Italy by Iranian artist Shirin Neshat, who through her film and photographic works explores the identity representations of feminine and masculine in her culture. In the tormented photographs of women, with their faces marked by Farsi calligraphy or wearing the hijab and holding guns, the woman’s gaze becomes a powerful and dangerous communication tool. Concepts such as martyrdom, the space of exile and matters of identity are examined through poetry and calligraphy. In her practice, the artist uses poetic imagery to deal with the themes of gender and society, the individual and the community and the dialectical relationship between past and present, through the lens of her experiences of belonging and exile.
Photo: Shirin Neshat, Rebellious Silence, 1994
© Shirin Neshat
Courtesy the artist and Gladstone Gallery
