Shirin Neshat has gained wide acclaim for her explosive work in photography, film, and video installations dealing with feminism, representation of the veil, and the interaction between traditional and modern values. The winner of numerous awards - including the Grand Prix of the Kwangju Biennial in Korea (2000), the Golden Lion Award, and the First International Prize at the 48th Venice Biennial (1999) - Neshat's photographs and videos have been exhibited at the Kunsthalle Wien, The Serpentine Gallery, The Art Institute of Chicago, SITE Santa Fe, the Centre d'Art Contemporain, Whitney Biennial, Biennial of Sydney, Lyon Biennial, and Carnegie International. She has also participated in the San Francisco, Rotterdam and Telluride film festivals. In 2009 she was awarded the Silver Lion for best director at the Venice Film Festival for her first feature length film Women without Men.