BEFORE SILENCE:
Afghan Artists In Exile
Curated by
Artists At Risk Connection (ARC) &
Art At A Time Like This
Since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan last August and the subsequent takeover by the Taliban, which has a long and brutal history of censoring artistic expression, many Afghan artists, including writers, musicians, filmmakers, and intellectuals, have been persecuted and targeted simply for being artists. Fearing for their lives, many artists have been forced to go into hiding, self-censor or destroy their creative work, or flee the country, putting the future of the arts and culture in the country into question.
Before Silence presents a powerful selection of works representative of the up and coming generation of Afghan artists who have continued to create and inspire amidst insecurity and humanitarian suffering. Through photographs, paintings, cartoons, murals, and performances, this powerful exhibition offers a complex dialogue between artists, danger, deprivation and insecurity.
“Afghan artists have chosen not to remain silent, despite the unprecedented dangers they are facing, including threats to their lives and their families, simply because of their status as an artist or cultural professional. Those who have been able to escape must now navigate the difficult process of adjusting to the country where they have landed and rebuilding their creative practices despite challenges such as language and cultural barriers, psychological trauma, lack of funding, and fear for their friends and family who remain in Afghanistan. While we continue to support Afghan artists and advocate for their right to artistic freedom of expression, we are also honored to give them this platform to share their work and their words. We hope that people will take the time to engage with their work and think about what it means to be both Afghan and an artist at a time like this.”
- Julie Trebault, director of the Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) at PEN America
“Bringing this diverse group of indomitable artists–now dispersed throughout the world– together has been a great challenge for Art at a Time Like This but illustrates the new climate in which curators work. Rather than locating artists through galleries or art fairs, these artists were tracked down through news stories and published interviews documenting the crisis in Afghanistan over the past year. Before SIlence allows us to peer past headlines and see the rich contemporary culture through the very artworks. These works are brimming with creativity and emotion, despite the circumstances in which they were made.'“
- Barbara Pollack and Anne Verhallen, founders of Art At At Time Like This
