Seeking Martyrdom 1995

Shirin Neshat made "Seeking Martyrdom" using photography and hand-applied media, and it’s a piece that really gets under my skin. I see Neshat working with the image, adding layers of meaning and texture through those handwritten texts. The woman's face is so present, so full of feeling. The way Neshat uses color, especially that shocking red on the hands holding the flower, it’s not just decoration. It’s visceral; you feel the weight of the story, the potential for violence, and the complex relationship to sacrifice. And then you have the text, swirling around her like a whispered narrative. It’s applied with a delicate hand, but it speaks volumes about cultural and religious identity, about the role of women, and about power. It reminds me of the way Barbara Kruger uses text and image, but with a completely different emotional register, more intimate and personal. It embraces ambiguity, and this is where its power resides.