Farrokhzah Neshat's Poetry Analysis

In using Farrokhzah’s verses, Neshat expresses her feelings about the parallels between binaries such as tradition-modernity and men-women. Farrokhzah’s poetic work centers around forbidden and controversial themes for women, Neshat’s use of her words is fitting as Women of Allah has the of agency of the Muslim women’s body as Farrokhzah’s work speaks of agency over ones womanhood.
Neshat’s also uses the poems of Tahereh Saffarzadeh, a well-known Iranian writer and poet. Saffarzadeh described herself as a true fundamentalist, a loyal advocate of Grand Ayatollah Khomeini and fervent follower of his philosophy and idealism.
Neshat’s use of both Saffarzadeh and Farrokhzad’s poetry in this body of work marries the intellectual and emotional
Prior to the 1979 Iranian Revolution, Neshat migrated to the US to attend UC Berkeley, because of this Neshat was never able to witness the effects the 1979 Revolution had on the Iran she had once known. Neshat works explore the multifaceted dimensions of the women’s experience in contemporary Muslim society. Throughout her work, such as Women of Allah (1993-1997) to her most recent less politically charged work Illusions & Mirrors (2013), women are her protagonists. The 1979 Revolution ignited while Neshat was in the US, preventing her from returning to Iran. When the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran was adopted and Grand Ayatollah Khomeini became Supreme Leader, the new regime began to enforce codes of behaviour that restricted women to a greater degree than men; she responded to the repression through art, seeing this regime as diminishing the dignity of women in Iran. Due to the 1979 Revolution, Neshat was not able to visit Iran until 1990, on this trip is where she was found her way back to making art. In an interview with Shadi Sheybani about her photo series Women of Allah on May 21st 1998 at the Bruce Museum (Greenwich, CT), Neshat spoke of her experience visiting post-revolution Iran and resurgence to creating