The Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill, New York, presents "Born of Fire," a major exhibition of Iranian-born artist Shirin Neshat running from April 20 to September 1, 2025. The show features three photographic series—"Women of Allah" (1993–97), "The Book of Kings" (2012), and "Land of Dreams" (2019)—alongside two double-channel videos and a full-length film. Neshat's work explores themes of alienation, repression, and identity, drawing on her experience of living between Iranian and American cultures after the 1979 Islamic Revolution prevented her from returning home.
The exhibition matters because it offers a timely meditation on the intersection of personal and political upheaval, connecting Iranian history with global struggles for women's rights, including the 2022 reversal of Roe v. Wade. Neshat's juxtaposition of veiled women and American cowboys reveals unexpected parallels between authoritarianism and the failure of the American dream, making the show relevant to contemporary debates about freedom, resistance, and cultural duality.