Soliloquy Series

A veiled figure in black looks up toward a modernist, white structure. The confrontation between the figure and the building is extenuated by the tonal contrast, yet the building’s hulking presence threatens the small figure. Neshat created this film still from her 1999 color video installation Soliloquy. When installed, the two videos are projected onto opposite walls—in one she is shown navigating modern, Western buildings, while in the other she explores ancient Turkish architecture. According to Neshat, this video is meant to frame the opposition between East and West through architecture because buildings are so culturally emblematic. Some laud Neshat’s work as positively emblematic of Muslim womanhood, while others find her depictions of veiled women to be melodramatic.