Afghan Kochi Girl Painting

Artist Statement I am driven by a deep sense of curiosity for the world around me. Drawing is one of the first things I connected with as a child and it allowed me to communicate with others. Later, when I was introduced to other mediums like painting, sculpture, or music, the connection was fluid. I have an endless desire to explore and communicate through creative means. My work is mainly figurative and centered around narratives of Afghanistan and its culture. Much of my recent work examines the different ethnic groups and the many identities that make up Afghanistan. I reflect on the country’s cultural diversity, give Afghans a sense of dignity, and use art as a means of dialogue to translate and communicate Afghanistan’s complexities. The process I use is grounded in formal methods and techniques. I work on canvas or wood panels using primarily oil paints. My tools of choice vary from bristle brush to palette knife to spatula and anything else that helps me give shape to my vision. My paintings start with simple ideas - a portrait, a snapshot of Afghan society - but soon gain a life of their own. The compositions initially remain loose since my relationship with the ideas may evolve as I slowly build up the painting. Every painting tells a different story and requires from me a different degree of care and emotional commitment. While the overall narratives give each piece direction, the color, shapes, and abstract quality of the paint instill personal meaning. The strategy informing my current body of work began to take shape while I was working with the US military as a Culture Advisor and confronting my multicultural identity as an Afghan-American. I have a love-hate relationship with traditional Afghan culture: some of the beliefs and customs are beautiful but others are very oppressive. My work takes a critical view of many cultural issues while also celebrating and revealing aspects that are often hidden or misunderstood about Afghans. My paintings invite viewers to explore the culture and traditions of Afghanistan in a medium that is familiar to western aesthetics.