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California State University, Dominguez Hills
University of Wisconsin, Parkside
Soka University Japan - Transcend Art and Peace
Created: September 15, 2003
Latest Update: September 15, 2003
jeannecurran@habermas.org
takata@uwp.edu

The Message of an Iranian Woman Artist

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

The original photo is at Shirin. I altered the two above to make you more aware of the two faces I saw when I came upon the photo on this site about an Iranian artist, Shirin Neshat. I first saw the face of a hag peering out, and knew that could not be the image as meant. So I stared and stared and finally saw the profile. The profile fits much more reasonably into the scene shot. I found nothing on the exhibitiion site to explain the pouring of the water. But it seems ritualistic. Once having seen the hag, I had trouble to focus on the profile. A typical reaction to multiple perspectives in vision. So I added a third version in which I thickened the profile line. I don't know about you, but I can still see the hag.

We encounter this situation when videos are played in court as evidence, with each of us so sure we can't be deceived by what we see. Knowledge accrues only when we leave ourselves open to other perspectives.

• Shirin Neshat

  

• Shirin Neshat Includes photos. Good article.

  Visit Shirin Neshat's sites, and read what she is trying to convey about freedom for women in the Arab world she once knew.