This article is a detailed introduction to the work of Iranian artist Shirin Neshat from her early works of the 1990s up to her most recent work of 2005. Identity is central to human existence and Neshat deals with two divergent cultural backgrounds, focusing on contemporary Islam and life in Iran. Her main preoccupation is the relation of women in Islam, yet in depicting this she is able to strike a more universal language for her international audience. The article explains the artist's historical context, where she came from and how she began creating art and follows her journey into her most recent 5 part video work "Women without Men" which makes a shift in her traditional focus to a new magic realism.