A sentence came to my mind while seeing this: men have people behind them, women must face alone the emptiness their life became, yet their silenced voice is louder then any men voices.

I think I saw this video when it first showed, at the Venice Biennale. One does not realize that the two screens were facing each other in a spacious and dark room, the viewer was caught in between. I've seen my fair share of art but I still remember this installation as the most powerful (artistic) experience I've had.

What power in this video! The longing in the man's melody and the agony in the woman's plaintive repetitive wails. I have never been to Iran, but I feel like I know Iran better because of this art. What beauty, and what pain, experienced simultaneously.

Saw this at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth recently. As another commenter pointed out, the split screen is actually two individual projections facing each other in a room, so you are meant to stand between the two videos as they play out. Easily one of the most mesmerizing and captivating artistic experiences I've ever witnessed in person.

In my wildest dreams I could could have never imagined how beautifully and effectivelyt a vocalist can picture centuries of suffering and ignorance. Well done.

you can hear the suffering in her voice, of wanting to be heard and not ignored

The female singer's anguished style is so haunting..a voice from many many centuries ago,straining for expression and never given an ear ever by the male dominated world..The conceptualization of this video is brilliant. The way the voice richochets in the empty theater is such a strong symbolism for the unheard 50% of women population in Iran and many many other countries.

An interesting commentary on how men's art is recognized in the public sphere, while women's art is not recognized and continues to be of the domestic. But by creating this piece and launching it on the net, women's art is brought into the public sphere showing its importance and value within the community.

I really get this video and its amazing. The singing in the video was interesting as well since my art teacher told me when the lady begins to do the scream thing, its a cry for all the women treated unfairly as well. Their vocal skills are amazing too.

The female singer's anguished style is so haunting..a voice from many many centuries ago,straining for expression and never given an ear ever by the male dominated world..The conceptualization of this video is brilliant.

Saw this at the Hirshhorn in summer 2015 and still think about it to this day

Wow! It engulfs with its powerful waves of sound, what a statement on gender roles, the separation, the female with no audience, the man whos just been applauded by the crowd (even with back turned) now stunned by the the voice making itself heard, a voice imbued with the force of centuries, anguish, yearning this film is an absolute marvel, says more in 9 minutes than most directors manage in a lifetime.

wow...i keep coming back to this piece...each time, a different feeling is invoked... this is a powerful piece of artwork that speaks in universal tones.

This 9 mins vid got me startled, Sussan managed to deliver with such exuberant strength and tone of voice, an immensely, spine-chilling peice that resonates with human suffering and the famished feminine soul.

I show this to my students and try to explain - although the "feminine" side is almost always more powerful and interesting for them, it doesn't mean that the "masculine" side isn't good - in fact it is a famous work by a legendary poet (Rumi). Rather it seems that Neshat is speaking more about culture in general - that culture is a canon, and that the canon can be beloved, but it also represents the void of the multitudes it left outside. For a foreign audience for whom the weight of Persian language and culture doesn't have an effect on, the more idosyncratic and personal performance at the end feels more universal and penetrating than the one with "culture" to support it.

I can't understand how a human vocal cords can make such powerful sounds...

Title: ghame eshghe Singer Shahram Nazari (the one singing in this video is Lipsing) Poet by : Rumi (Molavi)

name of the album is "ey doost" and its the first track (1st side), u can google it.

I think i am shocked from these 2 voices so as from the video presentation...Wow...this is astonishing...So pure and deep feelings....

Saw this at the modern art museum today it was so beautiful and it gave me a sense of power

2- How long like a prisoner of grief can I beg for mercy? You know I’m not a piece of rock or steel, But hearing my story even water will become as tense as a stone. If I can only recount the story of my life, Right out of my body flames will grow.

1- How long can I lament with this depressed heart and soul? How long can I remain a sad autumn ever since my grief has shed my leaves? My entire heart and soul is burning in agony. How long can I hide the flames wanting to rise out of this fire? How long can one suffer the pain of hatred of another human? A friend behaving like an enemy with a broken heart. How much more can I take the message from body to soul? I believe in love. I swear by love. Believe me my love.

Notice that the man has audience, and is singing in classic Iranian style. The woman also sings (speaks), but to no held audience and does not sing in any known language (nobody understands her). The men hear her, but do not listen. This 9 minute video holds more insights into the turmoil around contemporary Iran, and larger Arab world, than thousands of hours of trolling through media and news archives.

Beautiful music -- and a profound concept. Thank you.

I saw this in a gallery in Qatar back in 2014. Still remember it to this day

Yadegare Doost by Shahram Nazeri is one of the most beautiful songs ever

The words are from one of Rumi’s ‘Poems of passion’ and it should be explained that it’s not possible to do an exact translation as the lines are from an ancient language and lyrics.

Very beautiful, very powerful. She is truly a gifted film maker.

I saw this piece installed in NYC, MOMA, IIRC. It is amazing.

Absolutely amazing ! Respect,love,greetings,love and peace from Iraqi Kurdistan 3

..this is my all time favorite video!!!

I just saw it in an exposition in Barcelona and I was beautifully shocked.

again, the male voice is that of the Shahram Nazeri, and the female voice that of Sussan Deyhim. someone asked about where to find Sussan Deyhim's work - apart from the album this is on - Turbulent - she has a phenomenal release on Crammed Discs called Desert Equations: Azax Attra, as well as another called Madman of God. Shahram Nazeri's work is harder to find in the US, but there are a few mainstream labels with some collections of his instrumental work.

yes! It's the most beautiful video ever. period. It's so good it makes me want to quit...

great artist! in minutes says a lot more than a thousand debates

woow they used music as a language thats some amazing use of music

admire the contrasts displayed in this video

I saw this at the Miami Art Museum in 2001, such an inspiring artist...

lyrics in most cases has the biggest role obviously after the voice . singers like Hayedeh , Sima Bina and Googoosh made their Name and glory mainly of the lyrics , although one cannot disagree on overall suppression of women in Iran. you cannot even mumble the vocals that Deyhim sings. which makes it easier to forget . songs like that reminds people of memories bring their singer to life even after they pass away. props to all the people who dedicated something to the art .

Sussan's work is inspired by Nunavut throat singing artists.

Je viens de prendre connaissance de cette musique. Elle émet une telle profondeur que je ne m'étonne pas que la Perse ait donné au monde une grande partie de sa culture. Bien avant que ce pays soit submergé par les tribus mahométanes. Je me trompe sans doute mais j'ai reconnu des accents de grégorien, des accords corses et sans doute bien d'autres connivences. C'est assez merveilleux.

So powerful, captivating and beautiful💜🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌

powerful and haunting, incredible psychological, emotional, visual effects with amazing aesthetics! thank you!

this is one of my all time favorite pieces of video installation and proved to be the precursor for my own experiments in video and video installation pieces. thank you for posting this

I saw this video in Detroit. Beautiful female vocalist, she was trying to express years of hervpain, she has a microphone theater lots of seat but no words or vocabulary for her to verbalized her feeling, The male vocalist is saying " the tip of your lash is enoigh for me," can she say the same thing. She is a proud woman and can not use male expression to express herself. She is going to creat her own vocabulary. Nice piece of art.

este año pude verlo en el Caixa Forum de Madrid. Solo puedo decir que s eme pusieron los pelos de punta! muy potente!

Wow astonishing

Women of Allah are my favourite set of photographs by Shiri Neshat

The experience of seeing Shirin Neshat's 2 Channels Video Installation confronted in a exhibition room has almost nothing to do with the experience of a Split screen on our telephones.

This was incredible.

She wins

c'est magnifique!

So powerful and well done.

Very powerful.

Amazing work!!!!!!!!!!! Respect for Your brave soul and great talent as the Artist!!!- All best -mona k.

Me gusta como la autora cuestiona los lados opuestos marcando contrastes visuales, luz-oscuridad, blanco, negro, masculino, femenino...vemos cómo él canta muy entusiasmado en un auditorio lleno, mientras que ella canta de espaldas ante un auditorio vacío

Yapı kredi yayınlarının sanat dünyamız isimli dergisini bir tren yolculuğunda incelerken öğrendim bu güzel eseri…

Лайк, если вы тут из Пелевина iPhuck10)

yes please, - would be nice :) - Thank you

happy to hear that :) i will translate the poem for you if you would like

The performance art Shirin Neshat hasshownd has two points of view. First: Encouraging men's voices and not hearing women's voices, the second is: Shirin Neshat has always looked at the woman through the lens of the a Muslim religion Woman is completely immersed in the black Islamic hijab, even though the theatre is completely empty, Shirin Neshat does not want a woman be shown without the Islamic hijab; inn fact, she considers the hijab on the head of a Muslim woman to be necessary and mandatory. She want's through the introduction of Muslim women gets the benefits from Islamic countries.The only voice of aa woman showing not hair! Why? She has no problem with Islamic art and compulsory hijab. In fact, she is one of the founders and publisher Islamic idea in the museums and galleries in Western countries.

@biba2404, I think you are right, the complexity of gendered roles is a fluid thought that has universal value, Turbulent is a piece thats speak to all. This look from an Iranian woman speaks truth about the subjugation of all women. Great Work.

amazing music, and amazing video...

Пелевин привёл меня сюда.

a phenomenal piece of work!

tuve la oportunidad de ver la vídeo-instalación en vivo en mi ciudad. no tengo palabras para definir lo que se quiere decir en este vídeo, simplemente, increíble.

true love in art :) bravo!

I remember watching this in my photo class 😂😂

Thank you very much for the poem. It is beautiful. I will read some Rumi :) Thank you again.

Things have changed since then. But when she made this, it was a representation of the loss of female rights... To no longer be able to sing in the theaters they once could. To dress as told to. To do only what is expected of them with no rights. :-/

Beautiful.

I also just saw this there. I sought it out here because it's easier to see both screens at the same time. You do lose a bit of the division or confrontation with a side-by-side placement though. It's a choice of losing it by not having 360-degree vision, or losing it by side-by-side placement. A better choice would have been to show these as if projected at angles to us and each other, so we could see them both, but they would also appear to face each other a bit.

♥ love for all, hatred for none ♥

Feminist düşünür Luce Irigaray ,Platon'un Mağara Alegorisi okumalarında Batılı, beyaz erkeğin eril dünyasında kadının hiçbir zaman kendi dili olmadığını belirtir. Kadının sesi ve dili olmadığı Batı kültürünün sıkı bir eleştirisidir bu girişim.Irigaray bu bağlamda Platon üzerinden Batı metafiziğini ve bunun üzerine temellenen Batı kültürünü eleştirerek mağara alegorisini dişil bir dille yeniden yazar. Shirin Neshat'ın bu eseri buna mükemmel bir örnek.

Voice of singer is ostad shahram nazeri

Does anyone know the significance of the words the man is singing? I see it written here that the words are by Rumi - are they about love? Protest? Suffering? Do these create a contrast or interplay with Sussan Deyhim's performance that I'm missing?

@TUniqueUK In Jomhoory bi ahamiyat nist, ey kash ke be ahamiyat bood, ma dar be dar nemishodim! va in joomhoory ro hamin mardom bevejood avordan, va dar in movie kheili vazeh gofteh shod ke ta farhange tak takemoon avaz nashe, hamin asho hamin kasast!

great video!

Thank you for your answer - this is probably the best news i heard this entire month :) ...to me this means there extists a happy solution to this dilemma.. for muslims and christians alike.. as the entire trubadour culture is our inheritance from the Middle East.. cluless as men may stand in front of the collective unhappiness of women they somewhere deep love us foremost...

Impresionante.

i would recommend you to read about " Rumi " . he was the greatest persian poem. im sure you will fall in love with his ideas and poems. :)

1:31 Whoa, wait, what? Awesome vocals!

yes this is a love song :)

maravilhosa

beautiful

This is staggering.

WOW!

amazing

Никого не слушай, ты реально талант. Иди к своей цели. Меня тоже не слушай.

thank you

Is the delay between image and sound in the woman's part intentional?

increible :)

One may better understand the video as a clash: extroversion-introversion, man-woman, white-black, audience-no audience, a somewhat more "pop" song-an "ancient" cry, performer looking at you-performer not looking at you+a lot viewpoints of her, modern shirt-timeless unidentified dress. Even the fact that the man sang first indicates the clash impetuosity-stoicism. Considering this artwork only feministic, is a blunt simplification. Art is miraculous, isn't it?

How can I get this with English subtitles ?

its Sussan Deyhim

Fascinating. What is this style of singing called? For both the man and woman.

can someone explain the haunting and beautiful way that arabic singers tend to sing? esp the guy, i've always wondered about that and i wanna find more music like it

@ERiiK98 Do you know Meredith Monk? Worth checking out.

That worked in Fervor, but I think it was done very intentionally, to put you "in the middle of the action," so to speak.

Just saw this at the DIA Exhibit. It loses so much power when you're not between the screens.