Shamsia Hassani’s journey as a graffiti artist began with her exploration of the ways in which art could be put to use to cover up the physical reminders of war. The destroyed walls and buildings acted as her canvas, making her art accessible to ordinary people for whom museum trips or exhibitions is a rarity.
Despite the threat of violence and harassment, it was Hassani’s courage, conviction and belief in her work that kept her going. Art for her has always been a tool of resistance— a way of protesting against forgetting the atrocities that women face as a consequence of war. By painting images of women in public spaces, her art resists cultural traditions of isolation and oppression and encourages people to see women in society differently.
It was in 2011 that Hassani developed her trademark fearless female character that would continue to appear in all her future projects. Using the blue silhouette of the burqa, she created a female figure who would transcend the domestic space as she moves freely around the city. Much like Hassani, the woman character occupies roads and buildings, singing a song of resistance from the very spaces where her entry is restricted. She is modelled on Afghan women, representing their struggles of living as women in a patriarchal society.
One particular artwork where this representation is striking is the graffiti titled ‘nightmare’, released less than a week before the fall of Kabul. This powerful image of a burqa clad woman surrounded by shadow figures was very soon posted and reposted on various platform as people discussed the fate of women under the rule of Taliban. The woman in ‘nightmare’ is painted with her eyes closed and her mouth shut, but she holds a musical instrument—signifying self-expression and ownership of her voice. The musical instrument is juxtaposed with the guns of the male figures representing. ‘Nightmare’ appears to be a testament to not only the strength and resilience of Afghan women but also to Hassani’s ability to continue to envision hope, to proclaim light and life, and to encourage and remind those who see her work that the power of a woman’s voice is not easily silenced, even when her mouth is closed.
Her thought-provoking and nuanced art works have found her a place in Foreign Policy’s 2014 top 100 global thinkers list. Moreover, her life story has been included in the second volume of Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls, a best-selling collection of portraits of influential women from around the world.
Sources
- https://thewire.in/women/shamsia-hassani-the-afghan-female-graffiti-artist-capturing-womens-voices
- https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/entertainment-news-shamsia-hassani-the-afghan-female-graffiti-artist-capturing-womens-voices/392021
- https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/oct/23/we-planted-a-seed-the-afghan-artists-who-painted-for-freedom
- https://artradarjournal.com/tag/shamsia-hassani/