Sovereign Remedy

Rapture is a poignant meditation on sovereign destiny at a time when the situation in Iran requires both meditation and action. Speculation abounds in the West as to whether an Ayatollah Gorbachev or an Ayatollah Deng Xiaoping will emerge at this crucial juncture to continue the reforms Khatami has set in motion. In order to avoid the Gorbachev-like counterrevolution that resulted from the failed synthesis of capitalism and communism, perhaps a Deng-style path toward reform will provide needed guidance. What is clear, however, is that the fusion of modernism and Islam is no longer a choice for Khatami; it must be one way or the other. In the end, Rapture is poetic reflection, not political directive, but it makes this much self-evident: Before the next step, Khatami and his followers, or even his successor, must sanction the bliss of sovereign destiny, that stream of rapture Neshat invites us to witness just beyond the fortress walls.

Ronald Jones, chair of the Visual Arts Division, School of the Arts, Columbia University, is a New York-based artist.

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