"In a relatively short span of seven years, since 1998, Shirin Neshat has created an impressive and complex body of work: ten films/video installations of great historic and artistic significance, including Rapture, which has been hailed as an example of a "masterpiece" of contemporary art by philosopher and critic Arthur Danto. This books surveys each one of these audio/video installations while reflecting on the cultural context of her challenging and controversial artistic practice. If the exhibition produced by the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Castilla y Leon (MUSAC) offers an opportunity to consider the scope and achievements of this practice, this book helps us explore the contextual framework in which Shirin Neshat's work is articulated and debated, and the vision of this artist who has transcended the artistic discourse to become a cultural phenomenon."--BOOK JACKET