Shirin NESHAT (Qazvin - Iran,1957).

Lives and works in New York.

She left Iran to study art in America at the age of 17. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with an MFA in 1982. Her video and installation works explore the political and social conditions of Iranian and Muslim life, particularly focusing on women and feminist issues.

Major solo exhibitions include the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens, (2009); Hamburger Bahnhof, Museum Für Gengewart, Berlin (2005); Walker Art Center, Minneapolis (2001); Serpentine Gallery, London (2000); and the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago (1999), among others. Awards and accolades include the Silver Lion, Venice Film Festival (2009); Hiroshima Freedom Prize, Hiroshima City Museum of Art (2005); Grand Prix, Kwangju Biennale (2000); Visual Art Award, Edinburgh International Film Festival (2000); and First International Prize, Venice Biennale (1999).