In July, 2001, under a scorching sun, I travelled around Iran. I had to wear a head scarf and I had to cover most of my body as Muslim women do. At the begenning of my trip I felt sorry for the women I saw, but I soon realized that they found ways to express themselves and add some color to their lives. Occasionally, at a cafe, I could catch a glimpse of pretty and 
colorful clothes worn by a woman under the head-to-toe black hijab, and some women painted their fingernails or toe nails.With those memories in mind, I found the show at the Gladstone Gallery by the artist, Shirin Neshat who was born in Iran to be extremely moving. Her video installation is based on the novel Women without Men by Shahrnush Parsipur which is about women in Iran. I look forward to reading this book.
