We came together upon recognising a lack of obtainable information and long term initiatives concerning the historical and contemporary practices originating in or relating to Afghanistan.
Through gathering art histories, contextualising practices, and creating a professional network – we aim to establish critical resources that will aid in understanding the past and equip the current generation of artists and cultural practitioners both in and out of the country.
Through gathering art histories, contextualising practices, and creating a professional network – we aim to establish critical resources that will aid in understanding the past and equip the current generation of artists and cultural practitioners both in and out of the country.
(AVAH)
Afghan
Visual Arts
& History
is an independent
and global
research collective
and multimedia platform
Our contributors are
- artists
- art historians
- curators
- art world professionals
- writers
- and creatives
covering Afghan Visual Culture, inclusive of its diaspora and minorities.AVAH Contributors engage critically with Afghan and Afghan-diasporic themes at the nexus of mainly visual culture, but also post-colonial theory, gender and minority-inclusive politics, history and cultural production and practices in a broader sense.
AVAH aims to research, curate, collaborate and mediate
matters and materials
on Afghan visual culture, arts and history.
matters and materials
on Afghan visual culture, arts and history.
some past projects:
June-September 2023
Childhood(s) (curating and art mediation)
group show at Haus Coburg/Städtische Galerie Delmenhorst, Germany
December 2022
Fragmented Memory: Unearthing Film History in Afghanistan (session)
in collaboration with Independent Cinema Office at BFI Southbank London, UK
August 2022
Research and Collaboration for an episode on looted art from Afghanistan
for the podcast series “Akte:Raubkunst?” by ARD Kultur
August 2022
Film programme and conversation in response
to the exhibition “Above us the Milky Way” at Void gallery in Derry, Ireland
July 2022
Nabila, was machst du hier? (interview) with Nabila Horakhsh
for the 62th journal of Lerchenfeld by hfbk Hamburg, Germany
June 2022
Countering Fragmentation(workshop)
with Shahrbanoo Sadat and Rahraw Omarzad at HKW Berlin, Germany
May 2022
Ereignisse entlang einer Rüstung (interview) with Kuba Khademi
in response to the show “Walk” at Schirn Kunsthalle in Frankfurt, Germany
April 2022
Contemporary Art Workshop with Afghan youth
at Simurgh Centre in New Delhi, India
March 2022
Death Starts from Toes (artist talk) with Orna Kazimi and Mohammad Sabir
in response to Hayv Kahraman’s solo-show at Mosaic Rooms in London, UK
December 2021
Art for Afghans (online art sale and fundraiser for Afghanistan)
curated by AVAH in collaboration with Marcaz Projects
November 2021
Decentralized: Digital Creative Collectives and Online Archiving
(virtual roundtable) curated by AVAH for Miilkiina.com
November 2021
AFGHAN GLITCH (online exhibition) with Morteza Herati
curated by AVAH for deconfine 2021, Media Art South Asia
AVAH WORKSHOP IN BERLIN 2022 ©Shabnam Azizi
If you are a practising artist in Afghanistan
or its diaspora,
you can register
here
to be part of our index –a digital archive
of past and present Afghan Visual Arts.
Artists listed in this index will be considered for our publications, interviews, exhibitions and workshops.
Please ensure that a portfolio is included with your submission. Portfolios must be in PDF format, listing 5-10 examples of recent work, CV or biography and contact details.
Alternatively, if you would like to suggest an artist, please get in touch via email avah.collective [ at ] gmail.com
AVAH intends to utilise the digital space as a more ambiguous and independent space to negotiate artistic practice and culture,
in contrast to institutional and national frameworks that operate with different agendas and limits.
Through AVAH the collective invites fellow (Afghan) colleagues to engage in conversation with one another (but not only) through a digital livestream, and with it the platform aims to bridge geographical distance and cultural fragmentation due to the ongoing displacement of Afghan people.
Countering Fragmentation
(workshop) curated by A V A H
with Shahrbanoo Sadat and Rahrwa Omarzad
at HKW Berlin
Due to ongoing destabilization, destruction and flight, ever more people in and from Afghanistan are facing the ruins and fragments of their collective history and culture. Moderated by Moshtari Hilal and Parwana Haydar, curators of AVAH Collective, the workshop Countering Fragmentation brings together Afghans to engage in direct dialogue with the invited artists. How can art bring together fragmented, lost knowledge and scattered experiences?
The filmmaker Shahrbanoo Sadat and the artist and founder of the former CCAA, Center for Contemporary Art Afghanistan, Rahraw Omarzad will present their work and share their knowledge with the participants. The workshop specifically invites people with biographical connections to Afghanistan to jointly determine their own thematic priorities.
(workshop) curated by A V A H
with Shahrbanoo Sadat and Rahrwa Omarzad
at HKW Berlin
Due to ongoing destabilization, destruction and flight, ever more people in and from Afghanistan are facing the ruins and fragments of their collective history and culture. Moderated by Moshtari Hilal and Parwana Haydar, curators of AVAH Collective, the workshop Countering Fragmentation brings together Afghans to engage in direct dialogue with the invited artists. How can art bring together fragmented, lost knowledge and scattered experiences?
The filmmaker Shahrbanoo Sadat and the artist and founder of the former CCAA, Center for Contemporary Art Afghanistan, Rahraw Omarzad will present their work and share their knowledge with the participants. The workshop specifically invites people with biographical connections to Afghanistan to jointly determine their own thematic priorities.
A F G H A N
G L I T C H
curated by A V A H
for deconfine by Media Art South Asia
This is a conversation between two artists via zoom, curated by AVAH (Afghan Visual Arts and History)
AVAH is enganging critically with Afghan and Afghan-diasporic themes at the nexus of mainly visual culture and cultural production. By utilising the digital space as a more ambiguous and independent sphere to negotiate artistic practice and culture, in contrast to institutional and national frameworks that operate with different agendas and limits, AVAH invites artists to meet across their displacement and share their practice and thinking. For this curated conversation the artists Mumtaz Khan Chopan and Morteza Herati came together to discuss Mortezas digital work series "Afghan Glitch". Chopan tunes in from Indonesia, Herati from France, while AVAH records the whole conversation from Germany.
see the full conversation in Farsi with English subtitles between @mortezaherati and @mumtazchopan on www.deconfine.org
Virtual Roundtable:
DECENTRALIZED: DIGITAL CREATIVE COLLTECTIVES
AND ONLINE ARCHVINGfor a virtual open forum discussion featuring digital creative collectives on approaching unconventional curating, researching and archiving. Hosted by AVAH Collective, in conversation with Banat Collective (@banatcollective), Marcaz Projects (@marcazprojects), South Asia Art (@southasia.art), and Yahala Studio (@yahala.studio). To join watch the conversation, visiti our partners at www.miilkiina.com
DECENTRALIZED: DIGITAL CREATIVE COLLTECTIVES
AND ONLINE ARCHVINGfor a virtual open forum discussion featuring digital creative collectives on approaching unconventional curating, researching and archiving. Hosted by AVAH Collective, in conversation with Banat Collective (@banatcollective), Marcaz Projects (@marcazprojects), South Asia Art (@southasia.art), and Yahala Studio (@yahala.studio). To join watch the conversation, visiti our partners at www.miilkiina.com
Together with our colleagues from Marcaz we organised this art sale for people in need in Afghanistan. You can buy artworks and we will donate the proceeds to Visions for Children e.V. who currently plan a Winter Emergency Relief Action for Afghanistan. The goal is to support families in need financially or through care packages, depending on their personal needs. Any surplus income will go towards their long-term educational projects in Afghanistan, as in previous years.
As a humanitarian catastrophe continues to unfold in Afghanistan, millions of lives remain at risk, especially with a harsh and unforgiving winter on the horizon.
As a humanitarian catastrophe continues to unfold in Afghanistan, millions of lives remain at risk, especially with a harsh and unforgiving winter on the horizon.
In the face of this growing crisis and uncertainty grappling the nation in recent months, these incredible and generous artists have donated their works to raise funds to support the NGO Visions for Children e.V. in their mission to provide urgent humanitarian relief in Afghanistan. Visions for Children e.V. is experienced since 15 years in Afghanistan and focuses in their work on the needs of the Afghan civil society.A big thank you to
Hangama Amiri, Yumna al-Arashi, Stefan Marx, Sam Samiee, Shaheer Zazai, Jeanno Gaussi, Mashal Alsaie, Afshan Daneshvar, Moshtari Hilal, Ahmed Morsi, Nahla Al Tabaa
Hangama Amiri, Yumna al-Arashi, Stefan Marx, Sam Samiee, Shaheer Zazai, Jeanno Gaussi, Mashal Alsaie, Afshan Daneshvar, Moshtari Hilal, Ahmed Morsi, Nahla Al Tabaa
AVAH is also in the planning and development process of a publication and welcomes contributions from Afghan colleagues, writers, artists and designers.
Theme “Collecting”
Deadline for first Drafts still open
AFGHAN
VISUAL ARTS
&HISTORY
art community
digital archive
platform