Shirin Neshat

Barbara Gladstone Gallery, New York
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner in December 2002

This work is in very good condition. There is a very faint semi-circular scratch alongside the upper right corner, and a further light dent below the centre of the right edge of the frame. The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate with the overall skin tone with less hues of yellow, the skin tending more towards a natural skin tone.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Shirin Neshat’s Tooba video installation is a two-channel film depicting a group’s journey towards their ultimate home and sanctuary. Derived from the Qur’an, Tooba is a mythical character—both tree and woman—who allegorically embodies shelter and freedom to those who reach her. While the search for a tree enshrouded in a garden of paradise extends across all religious traditions, Tooba propels these connotations into a present day, post-September 11^th mentality of cultural conflicts. Emblematic of Neshat’s own personal grief, anxiety and pain of separation from her home country, Tooba engages in an inquiring but ultimately humanistic investigation into the conflicted nature of contemporary identity in an increasingly globalized world.

The present work, Tooba Series, is a film still from the eponymous video installation. Neshat presents us with the weathered, spiritual woman-as-tree herself in a poetic image that is powerful yet calming. The Tooba’s eyes are closed in moment of self-reflection; the soft wrinkles and imperfect age lines in her face, proof of her own suffering and hardships, emulate the tree bark from which she emerges. Neshat’s delicate Farsi calligraphy and leaf-like embellishments adorn the Tooba’s face, transforming her skin into an ambiguous scripture in which the viewer’s interpretations are projected, absorbed and reflected. The rich interplay of textures between the overlaid calligraphic swirls and the photographic background prompts a range of interpretations which reflect the complex intellectual and religious forces shaping the identity of Muslim women throughout the world. This delicate image is fleeting, however, as the Tooba will soon dissolve into the tree when the refugees have reached her. The Tooba's disappearance is, of course, symbolic; the refugees still seek the solace and comfort of a land to call their own amidst this Islamic diaspora and are constantly reminded of their exile.