Selected artists
Ai Weiwei
Shirin Neshat
Relevant information
predominantly from Western traditions
consider how artists from different cultural and religious backgrounds construe spirituality in their practices
art is
means of processing feelings of disenfranchisement and dislocation
providing powerful images of cultural identity and transformation
black-and-white photography and multimedia art responds to the Iranian Revolution in 1979
Using her own image as a template
she exposes the complexity of identity for a woman who is subjugated by the political regime
she finds herself, and in addition faces the cultural objectification of women from the West
religious symbols of the veil and Islamic calligraphy are used to embolden the image of the revolutionary woman
asserts her power against perpetrators who want to silence and exoticize her
Farsi writing on her skin—face, torso, hands, and feet
serves not as decoration but to mark the body as a politicized surface
Neshat seeks to liberate the female body from both Western stereotypes and the fundamentalist Islamic state of Iran
The Islamic veil, so often misappropriated as a symbol of oppression and otherness, now represents militancy
Neshat invites viewers to question the contemporary identity of a Muslim woman, acting as documenter, performer, and witness
the realization that this Islamic calligraphy does not articulate holy scripture but is, instead, contemporary Iranian women’s poetry about the role of women in the revolution
The work of Neshat represents a snapshot of the many voices of postcolonialism: of artists who reflect on their displacement to explore the different threads of their political and cultural identity.
spiritual by virtue of its revelatory, revitalizing and contemplative capacities
What is the nature of the dialogue between art and spirituality, how do the two come together, and what form does the meeting take
Art that is described as spiritual may reference or represent a spiritual and/or religious tradition
The relationship between art and spirituality has been historically mediated through the relationship between art and religion, something which has been periodically problematic throughout the centuries
to enhance lived worship, or viewed as a distraction or intrusion
often to reveal sights that are normally kept hidden from the public gaze and to challenge entrenched beliefs
“Spirituality” is a term that is often used vaguely to refer to an attitude or approach toward life that involves a search for meaning
denouncing government corruption and lack of respect for human rights and freedom of speech in China
produce work testifying to his political beliefs while at the same time making plenty of room for creativity and experimentation.
rapport both with Western culture and with the culture of his own country – torn between a deep-rooted sense of belonging and an equally strong urge to rebel
produced a multifaceted array of creative work, including sculptural installations, architectural projects, photographs, and videos
Exploring the fraught relationship of an increasingly modernized China to its cultural heritage
creating works that irrevocably transformed centuries-old Chinese artifacts
criticism of the Chinese government
calls attention to human rights violations on an epic scale; as an artist, he expands the definition of art to include new forms of social engagement