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Grazia USA
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Grazia USA
Shirin Neshat Takes the Hamptons
Nida (Patriots), from The Book of Kings, 2012. Artwork © Shirin Neshat, Courtesy the artist, Gladstone Gallery, & Noirmontartproduction Visitors to the Parrish Art Museum's summer exhibition, Shirin Neshat: Born of Fire , unfamiliar with the Iranian American conceptual artist's oeuvre exploring themes of female empowerment, political resistance, and cultural displacement, would be forgiven for thinking she has a background in fashion photography. Which isn't to say that there are designer labels pictured in this nonlinear survey focusing on four significant bodies of work the Brooklyn-based artist created over the past two decades. There's a quiet chicness to the minimalist looks worn by women in Neshat's arresting Persian calligraphy-overlaid black-and-white photos, to say nothing of the dramatic potential implicit in a swipe of kohl. 'I think Shirin's work resonates with visitors because it is absolutely beautiful and she gives us a way into difficult themes through aesthetics,' says the exhibition's curator, Corinne Erni. The two met in the early '90s before either woman had embarked on her current career in the art world—Erni was a fashion designer and Neshat co-director of the alternative art space Storefront for Art and Architecture—and have been friends ever since. 'She captures the soul of humanity in depicting the struggle for freedom of both Iranians and Americans,' Erni elaborates. Installation View of Patriots and Villains from The Book of Kings, 2012. Artwork © Shirin Neshat, Courtesy the artist, Gladstone Gallery, & Noirmontartproduction, Paris. Photo © Gary Mamay Born in Qazvin, Iran, in 1957, Neshat was a student at Berkeley when the Islamic Revolution broke out in 1979 and has spent most of her life in exile. In the exhibition's earliest body of work, Women of Allah (1993-97), Neshat grapples with with the ways Iranian women's lives have been drastically curtailed by the morality police through performative self-portraits in which she appears swathed in a chador that leaves only her face—and the butt of a riffle—exposed. Later photos and video pieces often highlight black secular clothing. The Book of Kings (2012), an installation of 40 large-format photos relating the Green Movement protests of 2009 to the 11th-century Persian epic poem Shahnameh about the rise and fall of dynasties and the struggle between good and evil, juxtaposes black V-neck tee hands-over-heart Patriots with crewneck-clad passive observer Masses and shirtless tattooed Villains. Still from The Fury, 2022 Artwork © Shirin Neshat, Courtesy the artist and Gladstone Gallery 'My work started with the black veil, but once I turned my back towards the hijab, black became more of an aesthetic choice,' Neshat reflects. 'One of the reasons for the minimalist style is that I really like wearing this type of clothing myself. I also like that you can't tell the period of black pieces. While often inspired by current events, my work is meant to be evocative and timeless.' Sometimes, though, Neshat's fashion choices skew a bit more maximalist: The Fury (2022-2023), a multimedia series about the long-term effects of trauma, includes a two-channel video piece in which a former Iranian political prisoner and sexual abuse survivor experiences a mental break on the street in Bushwick in an off-the-shoulder sequin gown and wildly drawn on cat eye liner. 'Style enhances the character,' says Neshat. 'Just like scenery, costumes and makeup become a part of the narrative.' Installation view of Land of Dreams, 2019. Artwork © Shirin Neshat, Courtesy the artist, Gladstone Gallery, and Goodman Gallery. Photo © Gary Mamay. Land of Dreams (2019-2021), is a departure both in form and in subject matter. It includes Neshat's first documentary series she terms a 'portrait of America,' comprising 111 individual portraits of people of every race and creed she photographed in New Mexico and inscribed with excerpts from an ancient Persian text on dream interpretation. It marks the first time after spending most of her life in the United States that she chose to highlight her adopted homeland. Over the course of two weeks, Neshat canvassed the Land of Enchantment from urban neighborhoods in Albuquerque to the old Spanish colonial town Las Vegas and the high desert outpost Farmington on the edge of Navajo Nation, setting up a gray seamless in hotels, parks, and even a pizza parlor. Simin and Consuelo Contan a from Land of Dreams, 2019. Artwork © Shirin Neshat, Courtesy the artist, Gladstone Gallery, and Goodman Gallery 'I went around asking my subjects if they could remember their latest dream,' Neshat recalls. 'We told them they should come as they would like to be photographed, and some of them dressed quite elegantly. We put on makeup, and then slowly they felt very comfortable.' The portrait series includes an Easter egg: Simin, Neshat's alter-ego in a later two-channel video piece and a feature film that will be screened at the Parrish on August 10, also both called Land of Dreams. Played by the Iranian American actress Sheila Vand, this mysteriously chic woman in an LBD and combat boots is a 'dreamcatcher' who records Americans' dreams to indeterminate ends. 'My earlier work was very much about Iran, and even though I am now turning my perspective to American culture, the issues are very similar,' Neshat says. Read GRAZIA USA' s Hamptons Gazette:
Gulf Today
26-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Gulf Today
Landscape photographers capture fragility of planet
Landscape photography is an intimate dialogue between the photographer and nature, a process of emotional expression, and a journey into the raw beauty of the Earth's elements. At the ongoing 9th International Photography Festival (Xposure), two celebrated landscape photographers – Isabella Tabacchi and Filip Hrebenda – took the stage to share their profound artistic perspectives. Tabacchi took the audience on an emotional voyage across some of Earth's most majestic and fragile locations. 'Landscapes are not just rocks or trees,' she noted. 'A place can feel more alive than anything else, carrying our memories, our joy, our grief, or even our silence.' A session rich in personal stories, Tabacchi shared how her passion for volcanoes and remote landscapes shaped her work. Her fascination with the contrasts between calm and chaos was brought to life through stunning examples of her photography. One image, taken in Japan during the cherry blossom season, exuded serenity. 'It was a sunrise that made me feel completely at peace,' Tabacchi shared. 'I felt the gentle connection between the fleeting beauty of the blossoms and the eternal presence of Mount Fuji.' Tabacchi also shared her love for aerial perspectives, particularly her award-winning shot titled Tree of Life, taken in Iceland. 'Sometimes nature creates art so profound it doesn't need words. My job is to immortalise it and remind the world how breathtakingly fragile our planet is,' she said. Hrebenda's presentation was a philosophical ode to the elemental forces that shape our planet. Growing up amidst Slovakia's High Tatra mountains sparked the adventurer photographer's love for untamed landscapes. 'Standing on the peaks or in the heart of the wilderness, I feel small, like an ant in front of nature's grandeur,' he said. With his work deconstructed according to the natural elements, the visual montage of erupting volcanoes, icy glaciers, and windswept desert scenes transported the session's attendees into the raw beauty of the Earth. 'The elements – fire, water, air, earth, and space – are so much larger than us. They remind us of our insignificance in the universe, yet our deep connection to it,' Hrebenda said. His high-profile Born of Fire images, showing Icelandic volcanoes in full eruption, were a highlight. Equally moving was his exploration of water as an element. One of the most evocative elements was his depiction of space. Standing under the Northern Lights or the Milky Way in Iceland became moments of clarity for Hrebenda. 'It's not just the size of the universe that overwhelms you. When you look up, you realise how much is outside of ourselves. And it changes the way you see everything on Earth,' he added, visibly moved. Both photographers spoke to the collective responsibility of protecting these natural wonders. 'Photography,' Tabacchi noted, 'is not just art. It's a place where emotion meets action: a way to capture the soul of a landscape and motivate change.' Hrebenda echoed, 'People protect what they love, and they can only love what they understand. That's our job as photographers, to help them see what's worth saving.' Organised by the Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB), Xposure 2025 runs until Feb.26. Earlier, Xposure unveiled the winners of its most prestigious initiatives, celebrating the pinnacle of photojournalism and global visual storytelling. Palestinian photographer Saher Alghorra was announced as the overall winner of the Independent Freelance Photojournalist Award (IFPA), while the Global Focus Project (GFP) honoured 12 exceptional photographers highlighting their diverse works and contributions. The IFPA designed to recognise outstanding photojournalism, announced its winners from a shortlist of seven entries. In a ceremony attended by industry peers and photography enthusiasts, Tariq Saeed Allay, Director-General of Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB), handed over the awards.
