Photographer #4- Shirin Neshat

Shirin Neshat

Misplace 

Still looking at the word misplace I started to develop my ideas and look outside the box. I have found a photographer who looks at misplacement of people in a different way. 

I am really interested in using some text or experiment with words within my images. This also links with this photographer. The photographer is Shirin Neshat. She is an Iranian Visual artist who lives in New York and is mainly know for her film, video and photography. Her work is very striking at first glace and then starts to underpin a much larger meaning. Most of the images I have taken inspiration from are in the black and white format which looks like a continuous theme throughout my inspiration. Her worked named 'Speechless' looks at using fonts within images. This collection of images is part of a series called “Women of Allah” 

Each photograph that is used in “Women of Allah” has three essential elements: the black veil, a modern weapon, and written text, often disguised, She also has used herself within the images of 'Speechless' which adds depth to the meaning as she feels it on a more personal level. 

I researched this in more depth and found a brilliant analysis of her work and the different aspects of it: 

"The black veil in the Islamic culture symbolizes the compliance of women to their religion and in Iran, it symbolizes the support of the Islamic Revolution. By wearing the black veil in the photograph and having it take up half of the picture, it seems like a struggle between the yearning for freedom and the support of religion. Looking closely at the photograph, written text is also seen on the woman’s face. The written text is actually sacred text in the Islamic religion. By putting it on her face, the body part where people can identify emotions the most, it serves as a reminder of the power that religion has over women and the oppression it has towards free expression. The gun in the picture is another juxtaposition. The woman seems to be embracing the gun as a part of her, giving off a threatening feeling, but at the same time, it does not feel dangerous because of her conflicted emotions: freedom versus oppression."

I want to look closer into using font like this as its on the face in the most personal area.