''We all grapple with grief and trauma, both on an individual and collective level. But with this common ground, we feel less alone. This is human nature: we see and feel that others experience similar struggles therefore we feel bonded and hopeful.
That is why we create art and culture to reach beyond our differences. The most powerful works in my opinion are those which connect people and evoke shared emotions without explanation.''
Shirin Neshat
Der Greif and
Shirin Neshat put out an open call, inspired by the line ''I am a common pain, scream me'' from Ahmad Shamlou‘s poem “Common Love”, printed on the inner cover of this issue.
1.500 artists and photographers from all over the world responded to this theme.
The result is a poetic and multifaceted visual narration through 86 images on 100 sensitively layouted pages.
Shirin Neshat
Neshat left Iran to study art in Los Angeles in 1974, just prior to the Iran Islamic Revolution; she did not return until 1990. At that time, Neshat began to photograph herself wearing the chador, or veil. In 1983, Islamic law dictated the wearing of chador for women. Much of Neshat’s work examines the physical, emotional, and cultural implications of veiled women in Iran.
Her work, which has never been shown in Iran, essentially declares the female presence in a male dominated culture. In her films and photographs, the female gaze becomes a powerful and dangerous instrument for communication.
Her first series of photographs, Woman of Allah, 1993–97, combines images of women with written words taken from religious texts. Neshat further explored cultural taboos through video and video installations.
In 1999, she won the 48th Venice Biennial prize for her film Turbulent, which contrasts a man singing in front of an all-male audience, with a woman singing to an empty concert hall. Her work has been shown throughout Europe and the United States. She currently lives in New York and the majority of her work is filmed in Morocco, Turkey, and the United States.
Der Greif
Der Greif is an award-winning contemporary photography organization. Through crowdsourcing, Der Greif brings together diverse voices and provides a platform and visibility for a range of practitioners and their works. Since 2008, Der Greif has engaged with topics like changing authorship perceptions, image de- and re-contextualization, appropriation, and artistic approaches to photographic archives and remix culture.
Der Greif's publications demonstrate how pairings of images by different authors can generate new meanings. Der Greif explores the creation, distribution, and reception of images - in print, on screens, and in exhibitions. The organization reflects on and questions the role of images: how we construct and perceive our environment and our respective responsibilities within it.
Since issue #11, Der Greif has been guest-edited by artists Jason Fulford, Broomberg & Chanarin, Penelope Umbrico, Sylvie Fleury and Shirin Neshat.
