Hold the Phones

New favorite artist: Shirin Neshat


It's rare that I find a serious, professional artist that's also down to earth / keeps their inflated ego in check *cough*lookingatyouMeesa'Bahney*cough*
We have Shirin Neshat's Faezeh series of video installations in the Newcomb Gallery right now. I just walked in one day because I was blowing off time before painting class, and found I was the only one in there besides a couple of chatty security guards.

Usually I approach installations with a wary eye, since more often than not they come off as a lot of self-congratulating masturbatory fluff. This time was different however, since I was able to sit through a good deal of her videos before being forced to walk to class. I actually didn't want to leave. Her imagery and themes were unique, beautiful, and actually thought provoking.

She deals largely with the topics of Islam and Muslim women in Iran, especially after the revolution. Here's a cool interview with her here, for those who are interested.

The bottomline, I like her so much because she's intelligent and makes art that people can actually relate to and/or learn something from.

I was surprised to see that she is a part of the Gladstone Gallery, the same as Meesta' Bah-ney. She's a definite cut above that hack.

Gladstone Gallery: Shirin Neshat