Shirin Neshat's 'Land of Dreams' Explores Immigration and Identity Through Film and Photography

Iranian-American artist Shirin Neshat's multi-year project 'Land of Dreams' (2019–) comprises 111 black-and-white portraits, a two-channel video, and a color feature film. The work premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September 2021 and is exhibited at Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich through 24 April. Centered on the fictional Iranian-American character Simin, a 'dream catcher' who collects dreams for a secret organization or the U.S. government, the project examines themes of immigration, belonging, racism, and surveillance. Neshat describes it as her most representative exploration of her status as an American immigrant, shifting focus from her earlier works on Iranian women and Islamic law. The portraits feature handwritten Farsi translations of subjects' dreams, drawing from a twelfth-century Persian dream interpretation book. Neshat's earlier works include 'Women of Allah' (1993–97), 'Turbulent' (1998), and 'Women Without Men' (2009). The artist, who has lived longer in the U.S. than in Iran, aims to transcend cultural specificities while addressing dualities between East and West, reality and dreams. The project was developed against the backdrop of the U.S. travel ban implemented in 2017 under President Trump's Executive Order 13780, which restricted entry from several Muslim-majority countries and was revoked in 2021.