Shirin Neshat and Women of Allah

This article explores the works of Shirin Neshat, an Iranian artist known for her photography and videography. It focuses on her Women of Allah series, which highlights the social and cultural aspects of subjugation faced by Iranian Muslim women. The article discusses Neshat's use of religious texts and poetry in her art and the political and feminist influences on her work. It also examines her role as an artist and her impact on the portrayal of women and religion.

Running head: SHIRIN NESHAT AND WOMEN OF ALLAH
Shirin Neshat and Women of Allah
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Two Works of Shirin Neshat.
Shirin Neshat, born on 1957, is an Iranian artist, popularly known for her
photography, videography and movies. Her works mainly focus on the decreased dignity and
poor social position of women in the country and aim to highlight the nobility, strength and
the social conditioning of the women. Her projects of Unveiling and Women of Allah, told
and portrayed the stories of every woman. Each picture has its own story and is seen to have
trying to break down the social impediments that are there on the women, especially up on
the Muslim women. Neshat, claims herself to be an exile from home (Traficante 2015). Her
father had left home at a very early years of her childhood and she continued her studies in
New York. Her revolutionised work is not shown in her home country and neither is it
appreciated. Initially her works were banned in the country for they were against the social
rule. Although, it is self-exile as mentioned by Neshat, in a recent TED Talk episode.
Therefore, in the following study, her works on Women of Allah and her TED Talk will be
reviewed and illustrated.
Who is the intended audience for this artist’s work?
The acclaimed photographer essentially addresses the Muslim women all through the
world to shape and provide them with an identity and also to account the political, social and
psychological dimensions that they experience. She also addresses the women in general. In
her works, she talks about social taboos, subjugation of women, and the vulnerability
presented among women and captures these aspects in her work.
The works of Shirin Neshat is seen as her impression on her home country after the
revolution of Ayatollahs (Holman 2013). All of her works adheres to the socio-cultural and
religious codes of Muslim societies. Her photographs portray the tell-tale of the religious
symbols. She used religious quotes and texts from the religious books of Islam and painted

2Shirin Neshat and Women of Allah
them on the bodies of the women, she used calligraphies and Persian poetry and pictures on
the hands and bodies of the women ("Shirin Neshat - Signs: Journal Of Women In Culture
And Society" 2019). Thus she portrays the stories and life of women, especially he lives of
the Muslim women. She has talked about the socio-political impediments made up on the
Iranian women, rather women across the world. Therefore, it can be said that her prime
audience or the people she wants to motivate are the subjugated women of the world who are
needed to be and yet to be emancipated. However, her works can be accessed through Films
Media group Firm, the copyright holder of all of her works.
Women of Allah and Neshat’s Message:
Neshat has not any differences of opinion while addressing the Iranian Muslim
women and women in general. In her works she upholds the social positions of women and
the complex forces that have subjugated them. Although, there is a difference of approach
while addressing these two sets of women ("Shirin Neshat | Artnet" 2019). In case of Muslim
women, the photographer has made rigorous usage of religious texts and poetry, on the other
hand, while addressing the women in general, she has portrayed the forms of subjugation that
are imposed on them. However, in both the cases she has kept the photographs in black and
white referring to the positions of women. On that note, an evaluation of her ‘Allah of
Women- Rebellious Silence’ is reviewed in the following.
Rebellious Silence perfectly upholds Neshat’s reason for creating her art pieces. In
this particular art work, Neshat has portrayed the political, social, cultural and religious
aspects of subjugation of Iranian Muslim Women. The political root reaches to the influence
of changes into the political parties on the position of women. She also viewed through her
works, the development of Islam over time with the influence of political parties. Moreover,
the concepts of modernity and feminism have a huge influence on the works of the artist, and

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this influence of western feminist thoughts is illustrated in all through her work. The
dynamism presented in her work captures the changes of ideas regarding the Islam
community and the identity of Muslim women as regarded by the Non-Muslim women. Her
art work of Rebellious Silence tries to communicate with the audience, the notions and
understandings, the Non-Muslim westerners have regarding the women of Muslim
community (Sayre 2016). The poems and religious texts written over the women talk about
the experiences they have and they went through, since the revolution in Iran, upholding the
situations of violence and suppression. The focus points of niqab and eye inscriptions are the
centre piece of her works. In one of her works, she contrasted the white background with a
lady wearing a black chador and eyes, outlined with black, kept the woman at the focal point
("Shirin Neshat | National Museum Of Women In The Arts" 2019). The author really loves
this piece because if the power it has to absorb you into the picture and distinguish the
meaning behind the uniqueness of the components, and what significant impact it symbolizes
for the artist, for the past, present and future and for others outside of Islam. Neshat, thus has
used very simple yet strong components in her work, and each of these elements had a
meaning of their own, and with such simplicity she had turned the personal space into a
greater context with a deeper meaning.
Social role of Shirin Neshat as an artist.
Shirin Neshat, an author, photographer and videographer, claims herself to be women
in exile and her works to be art in exile. Her works portray the repression of women through
fundamentalism and cultural exoticizing. Therefore, her target audience are the ones who fall
in this category. Her works have been banned from a lot of countries, including her home
country Iran, because she tries to highlight the sensitive areas of the society and the
community. She has addressed the political and religious impediments that bind the women
to their subjugated positions and voice against them (Neshat 2019). She is undoubtedly a

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fearless woman who is not stopped and cannot be stopped by the political and religious
complexities of the world. She and her works got highly criticised, but that could not move
her from her standpoints. She is a strong rebellion who had been and is still working for the
emancipation and upliftment of the women of the society (Heartney 2013). Therefore, her
strength and belief can be and should be followed by the women across. She serves as a role
model for the women and her beliefs provide the world with a perception of women and
religion. Moreover, she is a true feminist in orientation who believes in equality and
essentiality of men in the society. Therefore, her perception of feminism and her bravery
requires respect and appreciation.

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References:
"Shirin Neshat - Signs: Journal Of Women In Culture And Society". 2019. Signs: Journal Of
Women In Culture And Society. http://signsjournal.org/shirin-neshat/.
"Shirin Neshat | Artnet". 2019. Artnet.Com. http://www.artnet.com/artists/shirin-neshat/.
"Shirin Neshat | National Museum Of Women In The Arts". 2019. Nmwa.Org.
https://nmwa.org/explore/artist-profiles/shirin-neshat.
Heartney, Eleanor. "Shirin Neshat: Living between Cultures." After the Revolution: Women
Who Transformed Contemporary Art (2013): 230-51.
Holman, Rosa. "Holding a Mirror to Iran: Liminality and Ambivalence in Shirin Neshat’s
Women Without Men." Screening the Past 38 (2013): 1-14.
Neshat, Shirin. 2019. "Art In Exile". Ted.Com.
https://www.ted.com/talks/shirin_neshat_art_in_exile.
Sayre, Henry M. "AWorld of Art." (2016).
Traficante, Alana. "Shirin Neshat, Soliloquy." The Senses and Society 10, no. 3 (2015): 390-
393.