Mid Term assignment

Fall 2010 Mid Term Exam

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Sherin Neshat-Rapture

My artist’s of choice’s name is Shirin Neshat.  She is an Iranian visual artist who currently lives in New York.  She was born in 1957, but completed her studies in the filed of art in California, during her that, the Iranian revolution came about, which could have mainly inspired her work. Although She did not began creating art until her thirties, she is very much considered as one of the most important contemporary artist in the world. She is well known mainly for her video, photography and film work. 

Considering her background, her work integrates a lot of cultural, traditional, gender and religious content.  Her work touches up on collective communication considering loss, meaning and memory. She brings about the fundamental natures of the Islamic religion and incorporates within them an art. The concept behind her work Rapture, as she shows the psychological experience of gender in the modern Islamic society that is she is trying to send out a message to the world concerning women in the Middle Eastern and Islamic nations within her perspective.  She uses a lot of dark composition; she uses a lot of women in her work of art. Woman in Islam are a vital and critical subject to be brought up universal especially in the arts. It is so much talked about politically wise.

With Rapture Neshat created pure photography. Rapture is also a series of short films, but from them also come the photography. The first was created in 1999 and the second that I will interpret was created in 2001, it’s called Rapture, Women with Writing on Hands. The form of one piece of her artwork consisted of a group of women veiled in black abayat (traditional Islamic modest clothing) settled on the ground in what seemed to be in the middle of nowhere reaching out with their hands upwards with henna tattoos on their palms, in what seems to be Arabic or Farsi scripture. Another of her work depicts women once again all dressed in black abayat, scattered by the seashore facing it. Her photos are black and white, which tend to be very affective towards the viewer.

I don’t know what the message behind such photos is, but from what I see it, is that she is trying very hard to make the Muslim veiled women as oppressed and not of this world, as if they were from a backward world as if their in the urge to escape. She uses dark contrast; dark clothing and the women’s gestures bring negative thought to the viewer’s interpretation.  Considering the political issues in Iran the viewer can surpass the religious aspect, because not all Islamic nations “oppress” their women. I do not know much about the politics of Iran, but I do know that all the women when in public must cover themselves. She is depicting these women as refugees escaping from political and traditional arena that they are clustered within.

Also considering her personal experiences, of where she grew up, the changes that occurred during her life before and post Iranian revolution may very well have to do with the irrationality that she portrays in her pieces. As a woman from the Middle East herself I’m sure she has some sort of a personal relationship with her artwork. I do not know if she is a Muslim herself nowhere in my research did it come up. But perhaps she was, but because she was from an upper class westernized family, those specific secular groups within the pre-Iranian revolution were the ones who got afflicted the most during and after the war, perhaps after that she grew to detest the religion. In away she dedicated her artwork to expressing her thoughts and feelings.

              As I referred before the subject of her artwork are women, specifically Muslim women. But the focal point if her work emphasizes on gender and identity in the Islamic societies.  She uses deserted places as the background to contrast her focal point, for example what looked like an abandoned city, with its remains and mountains of stones scattered about that indicates its barrenness.  The other photograph of encompassed a wide spread at a standstill ocean, with a sky that was slightly furnished with a fog. These sorts of backgrounds just add in more emphasis on to the message she is trying to bring about. 

In conclusion it is always vital to look back at where the art was located, the culture and conditions that border it. This helps us understand the relationship this piece of work may have with its owner, otherwise one would be left at a loose end. Over all as a Muslim women myself I was touched by Neshat’s work, I found it interesting how each and every one of us looks a situation differently.