Location: Mauritshuis, The Hague
CO₂ Emissions: Approximately 22,000 tons over the past 10 years
Focus: Protecting Girls and Young Women – The Fight Against Femicide
Counterpart: Shirin Neshat – Women of Allah Series
Context & Connection
Johannes Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring (1665) is an enduring symbol of beauty, dignity, and quiet strength. The girl’s gaze—gentle yet resolute—captures an intimate moment of individuality, where purity and grace exist untouched. Her expression invites us to reflect on the value of the individual and the need to protect innocence and promise. Yet, in today’s world, this vision is fragile: millions of girls and young women face violence, discrimination, and femicide, their lives threatened by systemic failures to protect them.
Shirin Neshat’s Women of Allah-series (1990s) delivers a haunting counterpoint. Her powerful portraits merge beauty with defiance, using text and imagery to challenge the viewer. The women—partially veiled, adorned with calligraphy—symbolize resilience in the face of violence and oppression. Where Vermeer captures what is precious and timeless, Neshat shows us the consequences of its destruction. Together, they confront us with a question: What happens when we fail to protect what is most valuable?
Statement
"Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring embodies beauty, dignity, and the quiet power of a young woman—a portrait of timeless grace that invites protection and reverence. Yet today, the fragility of this vision cannot be ignored. Across the world, girls and young women face violence, silencing, and femicide—systemic failures that threaten their lives, futures, and voices.
Shirin Neshat’s Women of Allah-series challenges us to confront this reality. Through powerful imagery and poetic calligraphy, Neshat’s work captures the resilience and defiance of women who stand strong despite oppression. These women are both beautiful and broken, symbols of survival in a world that often fails them.
Chosen in alignment with Greta Thunberg’s call for systemic change, this pairing demands action. Vermeer reminds us of what is precious; Neshat reveals the consequences of neglect. Protecting girls and young women is not optional—it is essential to building a just, sustainable world where dignity and opportunity belong to everyone."
Why This Works
-
Beauty and Vulnerability
- Girl with a Pearl Earring: A timeless celebration of the grace and promise of young women.
- Women of Allah: A bold confrontation with the violence and silencing that threatens these values.
-
A Universal Call for Protection
- Vermeer captures what is worth protecting; Neshat exposes the urgent need to act when that protection fails.
-
Greta’s Vision
- Greta Thunberg’s message for systemic change aligns with the fight against femicide and the demand for justice, safety, and opportunity for girls and women everywhere.
Exhibition Context
- Girl with a Pearl Earring: A masterpiece symbolizing the purity, beauty, and dignity of young women.
- Women of Allah: A contemporary call to confront violence, oppression, and the need for systemic change.
- Greta’s Message: Protecting girls and young women is central to building a just future—where voices are heard, lives are valued, and change is real.