Shirin Neshat and Women of Allah

Running head: SHIRIN NESHAT AND WOMEN OF ALLAH
Shirin Neshat and Women of Allah
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1Shirin Neshat and Women of Allah
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