When we lived in Minneapolis, MN, one of our favorite weekend activities was a visit to the Walker Art Center. They had Saturday art clinics for kids and after wandering though the exhibits, we would lounge on the lawn near the Spoonbridge and Cherry sculpture by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje Van Bruggen. I just love that city... the lakes, the parks and the massive trees. One of the the most memorable exhibits we took in at the Walker during that time period was a photo/video installation of Shirin Neshat's work, circa 2002. Among the videos and stills included was the 2001 trio of short films Possessed, Pulse and Passage, featuring the music of Philip Glass and Sussan Deyhim. Quite a powerful punch. Neshat is an artist based in New York that explores the differing roles of men and women in her native Iran. Her sense of separation and duality loom large. Her images have a palpable intensity, examining the complexity of the social, cultural and religious codes of Muslim societies. They are hauntingly beautiful and remain one of the most indelible art installations I've seen to date. Her work has an open ended quality, asking more questions than it answers, leaving the viewer with sense of ambiguity... but also a connectivity to our essential humanness.

Last month, she was one of three artists including Yoko Ono and Alex Katz, whose work adorned the tops of New York City cabs (instead of the usual advertising). For her contribution, the tops displayed on one side, the poetry of Forough Farokhzad, I Feel Sorry for the Garden, written out in Persian calligraphy in the white of an eye. On the other side, an illustration of a handshake, the artist’s symbol of unity and solidarity. Other recent work includes a narrative short film, Zarin. Also receiving attention at the 66th Annual Venice Film Festival is her first feature-length film, Women Without Men, adapted from a novella by Iranian author Sharnush Parsipur. The movie tells the story of three women from different social classes as their lives unfold against the backdrop of the 1953 CIA-led coup to reinstall the Shah.

The artist Shirin Neshat and her signature kohl eyes.