The Future of Art According to Shirin Neshat

The internationally acclaimed artist Shirin Neshat has been creating powerful works of art through photography, video, and film for more than three decades. Born in Iran and based in the United States since her late teens, her work has frequently addressed issues of gender, identity, and political conflict in the Middle East. In 2009, she won the prestigious Silver Lion Award at the 66th Venice Film Festival. And in 2019, she opened her largest solo exhibition to date, “Shirin Neshat: I Will Greet the Sun Again,” at The Broad in Los Angeles. In the newest installment of Artsy and BMW’s “Future of Art” series, Neshat reflects on her rise as an artist and the portraits of her recent “Land of Dreams” series at her studio in Brooklyn, New York. “When I look back at these images, I really think that they capture the humanity behind these people, regardless of their ethnic and religious background,” she says of the photographs of New Mexico citizens overlaid with calligraphy. “And they really, in my opinion, become a true depiction of what America looks like today.” As for the future, Neshat admits that she is ready to accept the uncertainty of what comes next. Director: Antony Crook Director of Photography: Jack Shanahan Producer: Yuma Morita Editor: Alvaro Deval Music: Awake by Lambert Colorist: Antony Crook Artsy Creative Direction: Marina Cashdan Artsy Project Manager: Beatrice Sapsford Artsy Art Director: Megan Feehan Artsy Lead Editor: Casey Lesser All artwork images are copyright Shirin Neshat. Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery, New York and Brussels.