Afghanistan today, in the third year after the withdrawal of western aid forces and the associated takeover by the Taliban, any hope of democratization and freedom has been extinguished among the population. But the artists are continuing their active resistance, expressing their protest through their art and defying all obstacles and bans. They have developed an incredible determination to communicate their individual and collective experiences through their art and tell stories of hope, resistance and identity, where self-expression often faces great challenges. 

In the difficult situation, artistic creation is a double-edged endeavor – a liberating opportunity for free expression, but also a potential threat to the artists themselves and their immediate surroundings as their works and identities come into the public eye. 

Afghanistan is not only dominated by poverty and natural disasters, but also by terror, arbitrary rule, massive corruption, enormous restrictions on freedom and again increased attacks. This threatening situation not only complicates the everyday life of the people, which is characterized by violence, permanent concern for people close to them, fear, flight, but also resistance, but also brings artistic creation to a virtual standstill. On top of that, the Taliban have completely banned the artistic depiction of living beings, especially humans. Works of art were and are being destroyed by the artists themselves for security reasons, or they fell victim to looting and targeted destruction during house searches or had to be left behind when people fled. However, many works still exist in secret, others only in documentation. At the same time, artists are still resisting, expressing their opinions through their work – against all obstacles and prohibitions. 

The works presented are steeped in allusions to the current socio-political situation in the country. In addition to paintings and digital drawings, the focus is on photographs that depict various real, every day, longing and fictional situations. 

In close technical and logistical co-operation with Walter’s Cube, HIDDEN STATEMENT – Art in Afghanistan not only provides a platform for artistic visibility, exchange and recognition, but also the opportunity for artist in Afghanistan to participate in the international art discourse and professional network as well as vice versa: the international art world to stay in contact with artist in Afghanistan.

HIDDEN STATEMENT – Art in Afghanistan platform will expand from here into a digital Archive of Contemporary Afghanistan Art. 

Based on the idea of the Central Collecting Points, which served as a hub for restitution and the reconstruction of the museum landscape after the World War II, a digital archive of Afghan art is being created in order to prevent further irreplaceable losses of Afghan culture. The result is a rich source of artistic portfolios, compiled in digital exhibitions, from which art scholars and curators can draw. It opens up the possibility for the hidden artists to remain in dialogue and visible despite their anonymity.

For security reasons, all artists’ names will not be revealed until they are all in a safe place: HIDDEN STATEMENT.

This platform is purely non profit and we do not arrange any sales.