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Ghada

Shirin Neshat

Artwork Details

Ghada
2013
Shirin Neshat
digital pigment print on paper
24 in x 16 1/2 in (60.96 cm x 41.91 cm);26 in x 17 1/2 in (66.04 cm x 44.45 cm)
Gift of the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation
2016/1.203

Description

Subject Matter:

This portrait is from the series Our House is on Fire, commissioned by the Rauschenberg Foundation in 2012. Two images from the series were donated to thirty-three leading universities to support the foundation's belief that art can encourage and change dialogue for challegning international issues. The series documents Egypt after the Arab Spring, specifically focusing on pain and mourning among the elderly, a group that Neshat chose because of their unique and extensive experiences of changing political landscapes. The series, like much of her other photographic work, is overlaid in ink with Iranian poetry from the Iranian revolution. Among the selected poetry is "A Cry" written by Mehdi Akhavan Sales. The text is almost imperceptible, fading into the lines in each subject's face. 

Physical Description:

Portrait of a middle-aged woman. She looks into the camera lens; her dark hijab disappears into the dark background. Persian calligraphy is inscribed subtly over her skin in ink.

Usage Rights:

If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.