The book of kings series by shirin neshat on artnet. I will greet the sun again is the largest exhibition to date of internationally acclaimed artist shirin neshat s approximately 30year career. This march, shirin neshat and fereydoun ave jointly exhibit separate bodies of work similarly named the book of kings or shahnameh after the work by the epic poem by the 10thcentury persian poet ferdowsi. Browse more artworks shirin neshat from leila heller gallery. Interweaving history, poetry and politics, the series is set against the backdrop of the recent arab. Its an epic book of poems, mythological, about persia before the islamic conquest, and there were all these people getting beheaded, wars, and.
In her upcoming project, neshat will present a new series of photographs and a. In a way, all of my photographic work is inscribed with poetry. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. This photography series memorializes the recent arab spring, iranian green movement, and their mass protests against corrupt regimes, honoring. Neshat s the book of kings is inspired by the epic poem shahnameh the book of kings, by the 11thcentury poet ferdowsi, which chronicled iran through the 7thcentury islamic conquest of persia. Facing history is the companion volume to the smithsonians hirshhorn museum exhibition of the same name. Neshat grew up in prerevolutionary iran, then came to. Shirin neshat best known for her videos, photographies and films and fereydoun ave for his mix media works on paper.
Only in 1990, eleven years after the founding of the islamic republic, did she visit iran again. Shirin neshat lacma in land of dreams, you turn your attention to the. Similarly, book of kings brings to the foreground neshat s continued concern with the loss of traditions that fall outside the islamist endorsements of cultural production. Written between 977 and 1010 ad, the persian book of kings, is irans great national epic poem that preserves the legendary and historic past of iran before its islamic conquest in the seventh century. Neshat references a range of historic and contemporary metaphors. Shirin neshat, soliloquy series, 2000, cibachrome print, the broad art foundation. The book of kings is the epic poems written in the c10th by ferdowsi in tus comparable to homers iliad. The exhibit, the book of kings, was inspired by the wave of political uprisings throughout. This beautiful volume presents an array of neshat s most compelling works and illuminates the points at which cultural and political events have inflected her artistic practice. Exiled iranian artist shirin neshat looks at the egyptian revolution.
Shirin neshat translates iranian political unrest through. View the book of kings series by shirin neshat on artnet. Iranian, born 1957 shirin neshat is a contemporary iranian visual artist best known for her work in photography, video, and film such as her 1999 film rapture,which explore the relationship between women and the religious and cultural value systems of islam. Book of kings, an epic persian poem written a thousand years ago by the poet ferdowsi. The exhibition consisted of a total of 56 black and white photos framed in unmated and black frames that were hung across the two galleries. The book of kings series shirin neshat s large photo series the book of kings is inspired by the 60,000verse poem shahnameh the book of kings from the eleventh century by the persian poet ferdowsi, today still the great narrative of persian history up to the islamic conquest of persia in the seventh century.
Shirin neshat mourners from the book of kings scwerfel, heinz peter on. But that is not the world that shirin neshat knows. The gladstone gallery and the faurschou foundation in beijing, china are just some of the art spaces that have had the pleasure of exhibiting shirin neshat s the book of kings. Facing history contextualizes the artists work around the 1953 ouster of prime minister mohammad mosaddeq.
Interweaving history, poetry and politics, the series is set against the backdrop of the recent arab spring, and the iranian green movement, which brought. Shirin neshat speaks about her retrospective at the. Shirin neshats book of kings captures the faces of the. When we were children, these stories were read to us. The worlds longest epic poem created by a single poet, it has become the national epic of greater iran. In iranian art show at lacma, the past wrestles with the. The epic narrates the deeds of legendary and historical kings of iran. The book of kings shahnameh is a powerful epic retelling of persias ancient history through its tales of heroes, kings, villains, and personal and historical tragedies. Exiled iranian artist shirin neshat looks at the egyptian. Neshat s new photography series the book of kings is inspired by the 60,000verse epic poem, shahnameh book of kings, by the 11th century poet ferdowsi, which chronicled the history of iran through the 7th century islamic conquest of persia. Shirin neshat the colony 2019 available for sale artsy.
The iran she knows is filled with poetry and mysticism. Internationally acclaimed artist shirin neshat takes on loaded themes in photography, film, and video works that delve into issues of gender, identity, and politics in muslim countries, and the relationship between the personal and political. Shirin neshat moved to the united states during the iranian revolution 1979 and studied fine arts. Shirin neshat nida patriots, from the book of kings series, 2012 ink on le silver gelatin print 60 x 45 inches 152. Throughout the space, dozens of iranian and arab youth with engaging, thoughtful expressions stare out from blackandwhite photographs by shirin neshat. Amir villains, from the 2012 shirin neshat series book of kings. Oct 5, 20 shirin neshat in her studio working on roja from the book of kings series photo. The faurschou foundation beijing is honored to present shirin neshats the book of kings. In the second case, the persian epic poem shahnameh the book of kings covers the figures. The name of the show comes from the ancient book of shahnameh the book of kings, a long, ancient poem of epic tragedies written by a.
I was really immersed in the arab spring and have even done a piece of work called the book of kings, which was about. This photography series memorializes the recent arab spring, iranian green movement. It deals with mythological persian archetypes, kings. The exhibition, she explains in an interview with voa persian tvs behnam nateghi, is about power and peoples relationship to power, which she sees as the essence of firdowsis epic poem the book of kings. Shirin neshat and fereydoun aves the book of kings. Lacma two other photographs show men, one middleaged and the other elderly, both barefoot and stripped to the waist. The name of the show comes from the ancient book of shahnameh the book of kings, a long, ancient poem of epic tragedies written by a persian poet. Shirin neshat, amir villains, 2012, gelatin silver print with acrylic. Imprinted with farsi script, shirin neshat s photographic images were inspired by a 60,000verse epic poem written in the 11th century. Her artwork centers on the contrasts between islam and the west, femininity and masculinity, public life and private life, antiquity and modernity, and bridging the spaces between these subjects. Born in iran, neshat emigrated to the united states in 1974 at the age of 17, and today has photographs, films, and videos in museum collections across the country.
Its written all over their faces the washington post. The renowned shahnameh or book of kings, an epic poem written in 1010 ce by the iranian poet hakim abulqasim mansur later known as. A captivating survey of works by iranian artist shirin. In her fifth solo exhibit at new yorks gladstone gallery, artist shirin neshat sets up her first ever photo installation. Taking its title from a poem by iranian poet forugh farrokhzad, the exhibition which presents over 230 photographs and eight immersive video installations works offers a rare glimpse into the evolution of. It sets up a conversation between ave and awardwinning filmmaker and artist shirin neshat by presenting works from their independently created series titled the book of kings.
Shirin neshat, panteha masses, from the book of kings series, 2012. Book of kings and overruled february 23, 2012 erin courtney devine. Shirin neshat and fereydoun aves the book of kings exhibition. Shirin neshat in her studio working on roja from the book.
Shirin neshats large photo series the book of kings is inspired by the 60,000 verse poem shahnameh the book of kings from the eleventh century by the. The patriots consist of six large waistlength portraits of four men and two women, holding their hands in front of their hearts in a universal gesture of feeling and conviction. The exhibition features a new body of photography works and a video. The first hirshhorn museum exhibition organized under the watch of its recently appointed director, melissa chiu, is structured around three turning points in iranian history. The book of kings by shirin neshat with images shirin. Neshat at the hirshhorn late worksnew readings the. However, the piece is actually about the countrys wealth of malefemale contrasts, as it is suggested through the body language of the performers, setting, camera work, as well as the. Artist shirin neshat challenges the idea of muslim women. Hosseinis the kite runner, and shirin neshats book of kings series of portraits.
For shirin neshat, art became a kind of an excuse to build a relationship, even from a distance, to her homeland and history. Shirin neshat initially came to the united states in 1975 to complete her education, the iranian revolution 197879, followed by the iraniraq war 198088, compelled her to remain abroad. Shirin neshat neshat s mourners from her the book of kings series, which is inspired by the epic shahnameh by ferdowsi 9401020, are based on portraits of individuals residing in the slums of cairo, where the promise of freedom and democracy following the uprising against the hosni mubarak regime failed to materialize. A trip through history and legend community gulf news. Neshats new photography series the book of kings is inspired by the 60,000verse epic poem, shahnameh book of kings, by the 11th century poet ferdowsi, which chronicled the history of iran through the 7th century islamic conquest of persia. Book of kings series by shirin neshat by iranian artist shirin neshat from the book of kings series. Shirin neshat bases turbulent on a definite political orientation, the islamic law in her home country, iran, which bars women from performing music in public. Larry barns shirin neshat courtesy gladstone gallery, new york and brussels born in iran in 1957, neshat was sent to the united states in 1975, at the age of 17, to attend school. Titled shahnameh, or the book of kings, neshat s black and white photos investigate the personal and the political through. The book of kings, an epic poem from medieval iran, is the inspiration for neshat s latest photos. Neshat borrowed the title of her series from the shahnameh book of kings, an epic persian poem written a thousand years ago by the poet ferdowsi. Gladstone gallery is pleased to announce our fifth exhibition with shirin neshat. An epic poem written in the 11th century helped save the persian.
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