10 Dec –
12 Dec 2013
First graffiti festival in Kabul, Afghanistan
The festival initiated by the Berang Art Organization in collaboration with Zabe Sangary took place in December 2013. Shamsia Hassani was on of the initiator and one of the artists / coordinators in Kabul. She gave trainings to a new generation of graffiti artists in Kabul and has co-founded the Berang Art Organization, to promote contemporary art and culture in Afghanistan through workshops, talks, and exhibitions. Together with two female artists, she brought together Afghan graffiti artists and at the same time introduced graffiti and art in a public space to a broader audience of Afghan youth.
The concept behind the first ever Graffiti Festival in Kabul, that took place on 10, 11, 12 December 2013, was to create a space to meet artists, work together, exhibit, teach and share knowledge, with each other as well as young Afghans. A rented housing complex was used as a multipurpose accommodation for two weeks. It functioned as a temporary Art Gallery and a Teaching Studio. Graffiti artists from other parts of the country were invited to participate, along with students from the Faculty of Art in Afghanistan. The general public was invited to watch the art being made and have the possibility to participate. The Festival provided artists the opportunity to address and spread views about peace and women’s rights through art.
Shamsia Hassani (Dari:شمسیه حسنی; née Ommolbanin Hassani; born 9 April 1988) is an Afghani street artist, a fine arts lecturer, and the associate professor of Drawing and Anatomy Drawing at the Kabul University. She has popularized “street art” in the streets of Kabul and has exhibited her art in several countries including India, Iran, Germany, United States of America, Switzerland, Vietnam, Norway, Denmark, Turkey, Italy, Canada, and in diplomatic missions in Kabul.[1][2] Hassani paints graffiti in Kabul to bring awareness to the war years.
Zabe Sangary started in 2013 as a volunteer at Framer Framed. He was committed to Framer Framed for many years and co-produced the first Graffiti Festival in Kabul, supported by Framer Framed and the Prince Claus Fund amongst others.
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