Shirin Neshat

Shirin Neshat is an Iranian-born artist and filmmaker whose work examines gender, power, exile and the aftermath of political change. Born in Qazvin in 1957, she moved to the United States to study art. Her return to Iran in 1990 helped shape Women of Allah, a photographic series combining images of women with Persian calligraphy.

She subsequently developed video installations including Turbulent and Rapture, receiving the international award at the 1999 Venice Biennale. Her feature Women Without Men, with music by Ryuichi Sakamoto, won the Silver Lion for directing at Venice in 2009. Her work has been shown at Tate and the Serpentine Gallery.