In September 2002 I led an art and culture tour to Afghanistan.
Expecting only to find broken monuments and remaining shattered artifacts,
I was thrilled upon my visit to the Coordination of Humanitarian
Assistance (CHA) art gallery.
Disguised as a house in the Shar-e-Now district in Kabul, the gallery, one
of the few art galleries open at the time, was packed with contemporary
artwork by leading Afghan artists.
After entering the main gallery space, I noticed that a previous
exhibition was coming down. Fascinated by the work, I inquired about the
artist and a staff member politely pointed me to a well groomed, petite
gentleman standing by the main window.
We were quickly introduced. His name was Abdul Hamdard. He presented his
remarkable paintings, which were rich with frank sociopolitical themes.
Abdul Hamdard was born in 1961 in the Helmand province in southern
Afghanistan and graduated from the Department of Fine Arts at Kabul
University. During the 1980s, he participated in many exhibitions in Kabul
and had won numerous honor for his work.
During the past decade of turmoil, he was a first hand witness to the horrors
that transpired. No doubt these influences are apparent in his works.
Before departing the gallery, Hamdard openly remarked that he and his
works are against oppression and "tariki" (darkness).
View a selection of Hamdard's work.
