Shamsia Hassani
- Text by Ricardo Miguel Vieira
- Photography by Shamsia Hassani
Shamsia Hassani is likely to be one of the busiest artists in Afghanistan. When the country’s only female graffiti writer is not teaching art in Kabul’s university or roaming the U.S., U.K. or Vietnam showcasing her artwork, she’s making a statement on women’s equality.
Shamsia sprays powerful, dreamy burqa-covered women on hidden walls, corners or alleyways in Kabul’s dusty streets. “[Women in burqas] are a symbol to change the minds of those that think that a covered woman can’t do anything.” Shamsia says, defiantly. “They are women, they can do anything. They are like normal people! I paint women with stronger shapes, movement and life to show them as being part of society.”
Twenty-six-year-old Shamsia was born in Kandahar, Afghanistan. She went to Iran hoping to study art but was denied the opportunity and returned home, eventually embracing graffiti in December, 2010 after attending the first street art workshop in Afghanistan, held by Argentine artist Chu. Since that early encounter, she has developed her own distinctive style, using paint and colour to raise the issue of women’s rights.
“Afghan graffiti contains lots of deep messages that often aren’t present in the West,” she explains. “For my artwork I’m not looking for any special technique. I only have one style and I don’t care if it’s good or bad quality. I’m not inspired by anyone.”
Painting in Afganhistan presents several challenges: from the scarce supply of spray cans to resisting Islamist zealots to the constant threat of bomb attacks. If there is no chance of finding a safe place to paint, Shamsia makes digital graffiti, adding her artwork to photographs of Afghan streets. Whatever the challenges, Shamsia will continue to use art to fight for peace and freedom for Afghanistan’s women. “It’s hard to use art to stop war, but I believe we can change lots of people’s minds and share our ideas; we can say to them that art can bring change.”
Find out more about Shamsia.
Latest on Huck
Clubbing is good for your health, according to neuroscientists
We Become One — A new documentary explores the positive effects that dance music and shared musical experiences can have on the human brain.
Written by: Zahra Onsori
In England’s rural north, skateboarding is femme
Zine scene — A new project from visual artist Juliet Klottrup, ‘Skate Like a Lass’, spotlights the FLINTA+ collectives who are redefining what it means to be a skater.
Written by: Zahra Onsori
Donald Trump says that “everything is computer” – does he have a point?
Huck’s March dispatch — As AI creeps increasingly into our daily lives and our attention spans are lost to social media content, newsletter columnist Emma Garland unpicks the US President’s eyebrow-raising turn of phrase at a White House car show.
Written by: Emma Garland
How the ’70s radicalised the landscape of photography
The ’70s Lens — Half a century ago, visionary photographers including Nan Goldin, Joel Meyerowitz and Larry Sultan pushed the envelope of what was possible in image-making, blurring the boundaries between high and low art. A new exhibition revisits the era.
Written by: Miss Rosen
The inner-city riding club serving Newcastle’s youth
Stepney Western — Harry Lawson’s new experimental documentary sets up a Western film in the English North East, by focusing on a stables that also functions as a charity for disadvantaged young people.
Written by: Isaac Muk
The British intimacy of ‘the afters’
Not Going Home — In 1998, photographer Mischa Haller travelled to nightclubs just as their doors were shutting and dancers streamed out onto the streets, capturing the country’s partying youth in the early morning haze.
Written by: Ella Glossop