Shamsia Hassani: The role of women in the works of the first Afghan street artist

The role of women in a male-dominated society is depicted in her works, either on canvas or on the wall of an abandoned bombed-out building, the painter Shamsia Hassani, who taught at Kabul University and is considered the first street artist of Afghanistan.

Hassani spoke to Bored Panda about her life, her art, the situation in her homeland before and after the re-emergence of Taliban.

Shamsia Hassani: How she got involved with graffiti

He was born in 1988 in Iran to Afghan parents, who because they were Afghans did not have the right to work. The hardships of life brought her to Afghanistan where, in 2010, according to the Athens News Agency, she attended a workshop graffiti organized by Combat Communications. “I attended the workshop, along with nine others. Combat Communications invited CHU, a street artist from Britain. His lectures included theory, practice and presentation by various artists from around the world. It was there that we first learned graffiti. “As the workshop evolved, we learned spray techniques and how to create large-scale paintings on walls,” he recalls.

Of those who attended the workshop, only Shamsia followed this path of expression. “I really liked it and thought it had many uses. I thought that graffiti could be a tool to turn full-color paintings into the war-torn walls of my city. “The colors would hide the war stories on the walls of my city and people would see new things, instead of bullet holes and cracks,” he explained.

“They insulted me and cursed me”

“People in Afghanistan are not against art but they are against women’s activities. So when someone saw me outside doing graffiti, they cursed, cursed and some called it a “sin”Describes the street artist. “When I was painting in public, after about 15 minutes I started to feel insecure and I left. “If I had the opportunity to stay for about two to three hours, my works would be better, but in 15 minutes all I could do was either paint something simple or leave the work unfinished.” To the difficulties due to the mentality of the Afghans were added difficulties of a practical nature. “The other problem was the lack of space for graffiti. “Nobody wanted a painting on their walls, they only agreed if I created something to their liking.”

The change in women’s lives after the Taliban invasion

She said that after the fall of the Taliban in 2001, despite the ongoing war and various political and social problems, the situation for women really improved; they gradually entered society and were given the opportunity to study and develop: “During these 20 years, many women have evolved in areas such as education, trade, culture, medicine, etc. Progress has been slow but promising.” Unfortunately, things are getting worse now: “Now, with the return of the Taliban, many women are leaving the country and do not see a bright future. “All these years of effort were for nothing.”

Shamsia Hassani is safe, but to her great disappointment and sadness she had to leave her country.

The woman without a mouth in her works

“In many of my works, a character is repeated. Just like movie heroes have a role to play, so does my character. She is human, but because I am a woman and I understand women better because women have more limitations in our society than men, I chose to be a woman of my character. A woman with closed eyes and without mouth, sometimes with a damaged musical instrument that gives her strength and confidence to speak and play. Her closed eyes represent that there is nothing good to see. “He chooses to ignore everything so that he feels less sad,” he confesses.

“Sometimes, the character in my plays plays different roles like a fighter or a refugee without a future. Sometimes he seeks peace and other times he has no identity. “She is also lost in her dreams as well as in her pain and suffering, she fights with the past and the future but she is a patriot who loves her homeland and fights against despair,” she says.