Exclusive: Shirin Neshat's Photo Exhibition 'Anger' at the Berlin Photography Museum

The Photography Museum in the heart of Germany's capital opened an exhibition featuring works by contemporary visual artist Shirin Neshat on March 8, International Women's Day. Neshat's exhibition titled 'Anger' showcases the faces of censored women in the Islamic Republic, the gender discrimination imposed, and the sexual exploitation of female prisoners by the Iranian government. In an interview with Voice of America, she stated that the aim of her works on the global stage is to 'help women move beyond victimhood and portray the courage and struggle of Iranian women.' She noted that from the beginning of her career, European and American audiences expected her to depict the 'desperation and victimhood' of women. In another part of the interview, Neshat referred to the resistance of Iranian women, which has been passed down through generations, saying, 'Iranian women have always been under immense pressure, but they have never succumbed to the oppressive system and have always been a lesson for the world.' This renowned artist highlighted the stories of families executed in the 1980s and the trial of Hamid Noury, an individual linked to the government involved in those executions, as inspirations for her new works. She mentioned the 'Women, Life, Freedom' movement and the protests that followed, which led to arrests, imprisonment, and ultimately the suicides of some detainees, stating that these events played a significant role in creating her new works. According to Neshat, hearing the voices of families and survivors of executions, torture, and humiliation of prisoners by government agents led to the creation of the 'Anger' exhibition. Her contemporary works include 'Women of Allah,' 'The Book of the Birds,' 'Women Without Men,' 'Crazy,' and 'Mahdokht,' which depict the neglect of women by the ruling class in Iran. For 45 years, the Islamic Republic has sought to erase women from political and social scenes, but girls and women opposing the imposed values of the government have found various ways to raise the voices of justice and equality for Iranian women to the world.