Tooba, 2002

Shirin Neshat

dated 2002 · C-print · Islamic Art

This photograph is a still from Neshat’s film, Tooba, which explores Iranian identity and the movement of people from their homeland to an imagined utopia. In this shot, an elder woman leans against a tooba (tree), a structure symbolic of nourishment, peace and hope to the Sufis. While her closed eyes suggest a state of rest, her weathered skin and age convey the long journey she has undertaken to get there, and the difficulties inherent in emigration.

Artist

Shirin Neshat

Date

dated 2002

Medium

C-print

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Purchase, 2012 NoRuz at The Met Benefit, 2015