Feminism

Shirin Neshat, Rebellious silence 1994.

Feminism is a term that refers to political, social, and economic movements aimed at establishing greater rights and legal protections for women as for men. The issue of rights for women first became prominent during the French and American revolutions in the late 18th century. In Britain it was not until the birth of the suffragette movement in the late 19th century that there was a significant political change. Many artist have taken in consideration women and feminism as a topic to investigate and create. It is a central subject for the Iranian visual artist Shirin Neshat who works with a range of different media, primarly video, film and photography. Her work refers to the social, cultural and religious codes of Muslim societies and the complexity of certain oppositions, such as man and woman. In her first body of work “Women of Allah” she uses poems of feminist contemporary poets partly shown in the images. In this series she is questioning issues related to fundamentalism, religion and women’s role in the Middle East. Examining the troubled position of Iranian women she reflects on personal memories of her homeland. Memories that include wearing a chador to Mosque, expressed by applying quotes from Iranian feminst poets directly onto the surface of the photographs in black and red ink.

Bibliography:

·Introducing Feminism, by Cathia Jenainati (Author), Judy Groves (Illustrator) 2007

·Feminism and History, Joan W Scott, Oxford University Press 2001

·Shirin Neshat, Kunsthalle Wien, Serpentine Gallery 2000

·artspeak.ca/exibitions_67

·en.wikipedia.org/Shirin_Neshat

·guardian.co.uk/2000/jul/22