Ilgara (The Home of My Eyes) 2015

Shirin Neshat made "Ilgara (The Home of My Eyes)" using photography to explore themes of identity and displacement. It's a striking image, working within a restricted palette of blacks, whites, and grays, which really emphasizes the emotional intensity. Look at how the light falls across the face and hands. There's a textural depth, almost as if you could feel the grain of the paper. The way the artist uses monochrome creates a timeless quality, but also brings a starkness, focusing our attention on the subject’s expression. The contrast between light and shadow etches the details of the hands clasped at the chest, the lines of the face, creating a sense of vulnerability. This work reminds me of the portraiture of someone like Diane Arbus, who also wasn’t afraid to capture the raw and unvarnished aspects of humanity. Both artists use the portrait to ask questions about who we are, and how we relate to the world. Ultimately, art is not about answers, but about opening up space for these questions.