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ART CHANGES PEOPLE'S MINDS AND PEOPLE CHANGE THE WORLD.


SHAMSIA HASSANI


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The Artist
Shamsia Hassani


Born April 1988, is the first female graffiti artist of Afghanistan. Through her
artworks, Shamsia portrays Afghan women in a male dominant society.



Her art gives Afghan women a different face, a face with power, ambitions, and
willingness to achieve goals. The woman character used in her artworks portrays
a human being who is proud, loud, and can bring positive changes to people’s
lives. During the last decade of post-war era in Afghanistan, Shamsia’s works
have brought in a huge wave of color and appreciation to all the women in the
country.



Her artworks have inspired thousands of women around the world and has given a
new hope to female Afghan artists in the country. She has motivated hundreds of
Afghans to bring in their creativity through her graffiti festival, art classes,
and exhibitions in different countries around the world.
LOS ANGELES TIMES

“I call my latest body of work ‘Birds of No Nation,’ ” Hassani said over
afternoon tea in Westwood. “People in my country are all the time traveling
somewhere to stay safe and find a peaceful life. And we are missing a lot of our
friends and family who have left the country.



Usually, birds are traveling all the time; they have no nation. And I thought
maybe also we have no nation because everybody has moved to different countries.
It doesn’t matter what country that is; the thing that’s important is just
feeling safe, staying alive. Art — I can tell that story.”


READ MORE

“I used to believe that art is stronger than war, but now I realise that war is
stronger, and everything we built over 20 years could be destroyed within
minutes by its darkness,” she says. “The reason I am still painting here is to
help myself stay afloat and not sink in this darkness.”
In the series Secret, the women wear the burqa, which Westerners often assume is
a form of oppression, but in Hassani’s work, the transparent fabric reveals the
strength and humanity of the woman beneath, despite her covering.
Through her work, Hassani hopes to present a different view of Afghanistan — one
not easily equated with war and violence but beauty and art. “I want to cover
all bad memories of war from people’s minds with colors.”
HAMMER MUSEUM

HUFFINGTON POST

THE GUARDIAN

“I think I can introduce art to people in Afghanistan because we don’t have
galleries and exhibitions, and it’s good way that I can just show them art.

I think that I can change people’s minds with my artwork.
The artist, who fights for the importance of women’s role in civil society and
institutions, but also for the values of peace, solidarity and free expression
of creativity in the world, is also the youngest professor of Kabul University.
“Some people think that art is not allowed in Islam,” she says. “And then they
feel that they should stop me. And some of them are coming to use bad words to
me.” Hassani keeps a vigilant eye on her surroundings when making her work
FLORENCE BIENNALE

VICE

VOICE OF AMERICA

In her works, whether they are painted on canvas or on the wall of a dilapidated
building, Shamsia depicts the life of women in a society where power belongs to
men. Since the Taliban took over power in the country, 
Known as “Afghanistan’s first female graffiti and street artist,” Hassani is
famous for her female empowerment pieces, which she began creating in
2010. Her graffiti pieces typically feature “a young woman with closed eyes…a
symbol of social change, empowerment and peace.”
After Kabul's takeover by the Taliban, Hassani's social media accounts went
silent for a few days, leaving fans wondering about her safety.
A new image in her recent series was finally published, entitled Death to
Darkness — confirmation that she was continuing to work and give voice to the
experience of Afghan women.
HARVARD INTERNATIONAL REVIEW

DEUTSCHE WELLE

INDIA TIMES

The Creators Project travels to Kabul to meet young feminist graffiti artist
Shamsia Hassani, whose work challenges preconceptions about the role of women in
Afghan society, and expresses a unique perspective on life in a country
recovering from decades of war. We chat with her about identifying and working
as an artist in Afghanistan, why condemning the burka isn't the answer, as well
as how art can bring about cultural and social change for the nation of
Afghanistan.

MORE VIDEOS

Graffiti in Afghanistan


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