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California State University, Dominguez Hills
University of Wisconsin, Parkside
Soka University Japan - Transcend Art and Peace
Created: September 22, 2003
Latest Update: September 22, 2003
jeannecurran@habermas.org
takata@uwp.edu

Commentary on Perspective
in Shirin Neshat's Work

Site Copyright: Jeanne Curran and Susan R. Takata and Individual Authors, September 2003.
"Fair use" encouraged.

These comments are based on the work of Shirin Neshat on her native Iran.

On Friday, September 19, 2003, Carl Williams, CSUDH, wrote:

Dear Jeanne,

I took the opportunity to examine the two pespectives on this photograph. Your initial interpretation seems to say that the woman is asking for approval of her culture.

Carl, I'm confused about the perspective you're taking. I was looking at the frontal face which was kind of hag-like, as opposed to the profile which was very hard to see in Shirin's version. I drew the dark line under her chin to bring out the profile version, but I agree that once you've seen one perspective it's very hard to switch to a different perspective, such as that of the profile.

It was hard for me to get away from this interpretation of the photo and see the other perspective. I imagine it will also be difficult for some students to get another perspective on this photo.

This seems to speak to the length to which art can be and is appropriated. bell hooks talks about this in book Art on my Mind: Visual Politics, in which she speaks of the colonizing gaze in which we try to appropriate the Other, shape it fit into our comfort zone. Your second perspective, and probably the perspective intended, makes us bear witness to her culture, that it can't be marketed or appropriated. She is not looking at us; she cannot be interrogated by our eyes. Could this have something to do with the answerability perspective as well?

Good summary of the "colonizing gaze. Glad you're reading bell hooks. jeanne

Carl Williams