Shirin Neshat and the long arc of work series and retrospectives
Published on 08/22/2026 at 13:42 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Shirin Neshat has built one of the most recognizable bodies of work in contemporary art, moving between photography, video and film while holding a clear political and poetic line. Her series from Women of Allah to Land of Dreams trace a sustained engagement with exile, gender and power across three decades.
Work series that shaped Neshat’s practice
Neshat’s breakthrough series Women of Allah (1993-1997) combines black-and-white portraits of veiled women with overlaid Persian calligraphy and symbolic firearms, confronting Western stereotypes about Muslim women and the violence of representation.
Later photographic groups such as Book of Kings (2012) and Land of Dreams (2019) extend this strategy, juxtaposing portraits with texts and patterns that reference historical epics, contemporary protest and the psychic states of displacement.
From video installations to feature films
In parallel, Neshat developed a trilogy of video installations known as Dreamers, including works like Roja and Sarah, which follow women through dreamlike, disorienting narratives that probe fear, memory and political anxiety.
Her feature film Land of Dreams (2021) translates these concerns into cinema, following an Iranian American photographer who collects people’s dreams in the United States, an arc the Parrish Art Museum highlights in its exhibition Shirin Neshat: Born of Fire.
More news and background on Shirin Neshat
For further reporting on Shirin Neshat’s exhibitions, film projects and market presence, explore the AD HOC NEWS archive with current and historical coverage.
The work core across media
Neshat’s practice pivots on the tension between image and text, often staging bodies against stark architectural or natural backdrops while inscribing them with poetry, political slogans or historical references.
She moves fluently between still and moving images, using the same performers and motifs across photographs, installations and films so that each medium reframes questions of identity, faith and state power.
Where the artist stands now
Shirin Neshat continues to develop new film and installation projects while her major series remain in circulation through museum shows and screenings, without a formally announced date in the immediate 30-day window.
Key facts on Shirin Neshat
- Artist: Shirin Neshat
- Medium / Genre: Photography and video (conceptual, political)
- Born: 1957, Qazvin, Iran
- Place(s) of practice: Studio in New York
- Active since: Early 1990s, with Women of Allah emerging in 1993
- Key work groups: Women of Allah, Dreamers, Book of Kings, Land of Dreams
- Current/last exhibition: Shirin Neshat: Born of Fire, Parrish Art Museum, Water Mill, on view through September 1, 2025
- Major collections: Works by Neshat are held in public collections including the Tate (London), MoMA (New York) and other international institutions.
- Awards: Internationally recognized with major festival and institutional presentations; specific prize listings vary by source.
- Next date: currently no announced date in the 30-day window
Frequently asked questions about Shirin Neshat
Which Shirin Neshat series are considered key to her career?
Core series include Women of Allah, which established her visual language in the 1990s, and later bodies such as Book of Kings, the video trilogy Dreamers and the expansive project Land of Dreams.
How does Shirin Neshat combine photography and politics?
Neshat uses portraiture, calligraphy and symbolic props to address themes of exile, state violence and gender, layering visual and textual elements so that political content is embedded in the formal structure of each work.
Where has Shirin Neshat recently been exhibited?
Recent institutional focus includes Shirin Neshat: Born of Fire at the Parrish Art Museum on Long Island, which surveyed four major bodies of work and ran through September 1, 2025.
This article was produced with a.i. support and editorially reviewed. All statements without guarantee; auction results, exhibition dates and awards may change at short notice.
