Among the most highly regarded visual artists of her generation, Shirin Neshat (b. 1957) developed her practice through a thoughtful study of the effects of silencing women. In Turbulent, 1998, a black-and-white two-screen video installation that fills opposing walls, one screen features a male singer performing in front of an all-male audience, while the other shows a female singer performing to an empty auditorium. The juxtaposition serves as a striking reminder of the restrictions placed on women in the artist’s home country of Iran and the seemingly impenetrable social divisions that persist in the wake of the Iranian Revolution. In 1999, Turbulent was awarded the Golden Lion prize at the 48th Venice Biennale.

In addition to Turbulent, this installation included the black and white diptych Turbulent Series, 1998, generously on loan from the artist and Gladstone Gallery, New York and Brussels.