Shirin Neshat and the Cost of Visibility
Shirin Neshat, Do U Dare!, 2025 | Courtesy Shirin Neshat / Gladstone / Lia Rumma Gallery, Milan/Naples
Presented during the 2026 Venice Biennale, Do U Dare! is Shirin Neshat's latest film project. Inspired by the life of Iranian-American content creator Nasim Aghdam, the trilogy unfolds across three different social environments in the New York metropolitan area. Through this narrative, Neshat examines themes that have long shaped her artistic practice, including exile, identity, belonging and the relationship between personal experience and collective realities. The protagonist moves through a fragmented world where reality and imagination constantly overlap. The work explores the desire for recognition, the impact of digital culture and the contradictions surrounding visibility in contemporary society. Combining social realism with dreamlike sequences, the project reflects on migration, loneliness and the pressures generated by online fame. The exhibition confirms Neshat's ability to transform complex political and social issues into powerful visual storytelling.