The Afghan Contemporary Art Prize is an annual competition to encourage young local artists to showcase their talent.
From paintings and sculpture... to videos, installations and performance arts... from talented young artists across the country.
The Contemporary Art Prize was established in 2008 by a British-based charity that works in art and cultural preservation.
This year more than 100 local young artists joined the competition and 10 went through to the final stage.
18-year-old university student Masooda Noora, won the first prize.
“My installation is called ‘If We Were Bees’. Here you see four beehives which represent the four pillars in Afghanistan – the communists, the Mujahidin, the Taliban and the current government. There’s also 35 white handkerchiefs – they represent the 35 years of civil war in the country.”
It’s about elections, she explains.
Masooda uses wooden beehives to depict ballot boxes and a video of people which she says represents the honey bees in the hives.
“The message is that if we only put honey in the boxes without thinking about programs for the people, we will experience the same situation that we saw in the past. Those who win the elections will not work for us.”
Afghanistan is scheduled to hold presidential elections next year.
Masooda says she wants her art work to act as a wake-up call.
“People should be aware that they should not take things for granted, just like during the past decades. They should fight for their problems.”
Masooda won more than1,000 US dollars worth of prize money.
Another work of arts is an animation done by another of this year’s prize winners, 25-year-old Nasir Hashimi.
It shows how donations from other countries over the past year have not reached the people who need them the most... as many of them are still hungry...
Nasir is a cinema graduate and now works as animator. He has taken part in various film festival and received more than 3 national and international awards.
“I never thought about winning, but when I heard that I’d won, I was very happy. I can’t tell you how happy I was! I want to continue working in this field. I wish to compete in international competitions, like the Oscars, Cannes or the Golden Globes.”
Traditional beliefs are a big challenge for new artists in a conservative society like Afghanistan.
Nasir Hashimi had to fight his family to pursue his dream.
“My family wanted me to study politics, but I refused and studied cinema instead. My family still disagrees with me. It’s not just my family, my relatives also don’t like my job. People think that being in cinema is not a good job. I hope my family will understand someday.”
Modern art is still new for most Afghans. But this year, more than 1,000 people visited the exhibition.
50-year-old Talib Husain came from Ghazni Province, more than 80 kilometers from the capital to see the exhibition.
“I think our artists have improved a lot. I’m very interested in all their art works. I think this exhibition is very important to improve the quality of the arts. This can encourage artists to bring out their creations and show them to the public.”
A tourist from India, Injeranjan Bant, says every country has its own art forms that cannot be compared with others.
“Art is to be seen. And I think what I’m seeing is very interesting, the multimedia pieces are also interesting.”
As an artist, Masooda Noora believes that contemporary art can help channel people’s frustrations.
“Modern art has more impact than classical art. With modern art, we can intervene in society and reflect people’s problems, and also criticize. With classical art, there’s limited room (for expression).”
