Asia-Pacific Art matters: ‘Ava’ by Shirin Neshat
December 19, 2023
By
Penn Today
A new installment in the ‘Art Matters’ series examines ‘Ava’ by photographer and filmmaker Shirin Neshat, on view at Perry World House.
SHIRIN NESHAT (IRANIAN B. 1957)
AVA, 2012
INK ON SILVER GELATIN PRINT
GIFT OF RICHARD C. AND LISA PERRY
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA ART COLLECTION
LOCATION: PERRY WORLD HOUSE, SECOND FLOOR
Photographer and filmmaker Sherin Neshat is celebrated for her technique of overlaying black and white photographic portraits with Farsi text, meticulously written in tiny calligraphy and drawn from the ancient Persian book of epic poems “Shabnameh” as well as contemporary Iranian poetry. This portrait comes from Neshat’s “Book of Kings” series. It is one of several contemporary artworks donated to the Penn Art Collection by Richard and Lisa Perry that hang in Perry World House.
Richard Perry, a 1977 graduate of the Wharton School and a member of the University’s Board of Trustees, says they purchased “Ava” specifically for Perry World House.
