Shirin Neshat

Daniela , from The Fury series, 2023

Shot in June 2022, Shirin Neshat's film 'The Fury' seeks to capture the Zeitgeist: a sense of foreboding and dread sparked by the resurgence of fascism that we are witnessing. Neshat’s protagonist occupies the social margins without future prospects. While walking down the streets of Brooklyn, she relives in the horrors of her past. While The Fury can be viewed as a continuation of Neshat’s exploration of the female body in the context of theocratic politics and gender apartheid of the Islamic Republic of Iran, its unfolding in New York City drives home its international charge.

The Fury’s photographic subjects are women of all races, creeds, and ethnicities. Their bodies are abused, sometimes mutilated and bear physical signs of social alienation. The message is clear: the bedrock of power and authoritarianism is the subjugation and control of the female body.