ASA Art Show   Photos By Yamah Ghiassi Lemar-Aftaab July - December 2000   THE Afghan Student Association of Washington DC held an art show in June, 2000. The event hosted a number of accomplished Afghan artists, live musical performances and an attractive fashion show. Assem Akram: Mr. Akram was born on September 29th 1965 in Kabul. He holds a Doctorate degree in History from the Sorbonne University of Paris. Active among the Afghan resistance, he worked several positions up to mid-1993, when he resigned from his post preferring to devote his time doing some research work on his country's history. In November 1996, his first book was published in Paris entitled History of the War of Afghanistan. He's currently working on two book projects: a history book on Mohammad Daud Khan and a fiction work. Along with other activities, Assem tries to find time for painting. He states it is part of an equilibrium that he senses he needs, "whereas researching and writing on history requires taking into account rigorous discipline and rules, painting gives free way to imagination and creativity: somehow I need both of them". He says he has never been able to give explanations on what he may have meant in his paintings; he believes that the amateur spectator is much more able to do it because they can guess and analyze what may result of segments of his conscience that he might be unaware of. He goes on to say, "a painting is like a dream, you have to analyze it and pay attention to details to fully catch its essence and appreciate it". He seldom draws sketches before painting and mainly uses oil on canvas, wood or paper. His work has been exhibited in Paris. [click on images to enlarge] Masood Baber: Mr. Babar graduated from St. Marie's Hight School and went on to complete classes at the Center of Media Art in New York City. His favorite media of work is oil on canvas, and he also works on very unique three-dimensional paintings that create a perception of depth. Mr. Babar owns his own art framing store called "Masdawn Art & Framing" which is located in Springfield, Virginia where he display's some of his work. [click on images to enlarge] Qasem Ghafoori: Mr. Ghafoori graduated from Inqalb High School in Herat, Afghanistan in 1989. He graduated from Kabul University in 1994 with a major in Fine Arts. His areas of expertise include calligraphy, miniatures, and painting. Mr. Ghafoori currently resides in Pakistan. [click on images to enlarge] Haamed Naweed: Mr. Naweed was an Associate Professor of Art History at Kabul University. After arriving in the United States, he received his Masters in Fine Arts from the State University of New York. He also completed research on color theory and the concept of art at the State University of New York. His main interests are murals, historical paintings, and paintings of scenery depicting Afghanistan. In addition, he has done working the abstract style and continues to draw and paint in his free time. Presently, Mr. Naweed is in the process of writing a book on Afghan art. [click on images to enlarge] Rehmatullah Jaghoor: Mr. Jaghoor was born in a small village in central Afghanistan called Patow. After the Soviet invasion, he emigrated to Pakistan where he attended a vocational school run by Germans in order to support himself and to attend art school. He learned English so that he could study the books of prominent artists and studied under Mr. Kalim Khan. His interest in art was derived in nature, and he began by drawing landscapes. His works were exhibited in national and international shows in Pakistan. Now in the US., he has visited most of the galleries in Washington D.C. and plans to continue a career in art. [click on images to enlarge] Talib Jagori: Mr. Jagori graduated from the Sanaiy School in Kabul, Afghanistan and Completed three years of Art Studio classes at Kabul University before coming to the United States. The main media he uses are oil paintings, charcoal, and watercolors. Mr. Jagori currently runs his own home improvement business and in his spare time tries to find time for artwork. [click on images to enlarge]   Reyaz Nadi: Mr. Nadi was born in Kabul, Afghanistan in 1964. From a young age, he developed an amazing eye for visual perception and utilized this through art. He won his first art award at the age of six in an Asian children's competition. After the Soviet invasion, he lived in Frankfurt for two years. He spent most of his days painting with watercolors and discovered the artistic use of charcoal, where he drew murals on the streets of Hamburg. He completed high school in Germany and had his first showing at a gallery in Hamburg. In 1982, he arrived in the United States and settled in New York City. He studied architecture for two years at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn but due to financial constraints, left to pursue a career in modeling. His Modeling work let him to the pages of Vogue, German Vogue, Details, as billboards and commercials. He then left modeling and pursued art full-time and began to pave a new path in architecture through his art showcasing of monumental structures which combined pop art with a cubist composition. In 1991, his first piece which was a series of Twiggy, started a new undiscovered medium, Color Transfer. He has exhibited this style at the National Art Club, and other Clubs such as The Rex, Limelight, Palladium and restaurants such as Jure e Nuit, NHPP, and Frederics. With his new style, Mr. Nadi continues to present his strength of visual imagery and intends to develop further the freedom of expression through imagination and construction with no limitations. [click on images to enlarge] Sameh Nadi: Mr. Nadi is an accomplished sculptor who completed his education at the Fine Arts School in Kabul and continued at the Fine Arts Department of Kabul University. He went on to receive his Master's Degree from the Michaelangelo School in Russia. He is a resident of Germany and has exhibited his work in many European galleries. His style is a mixture of modern and classic and his interests are the human figure and portraits. [click on image to enlarge] The Late Ustad Said Moqadas Negah: Mr. Negah is considered a leader to Afghan artists. In Kabul, he operated his own art studio. Mr. Negah worked on marble mosaics, modern paintings (mainly impressionist) following the cubist style. He introduced the Western style of modern art to Afghanistan. He extensively studied the work of Brock and Picasso. Mr. Negah is also an experienced actor and playwright. [click on image to enlarge] Abdulhai Popalzai: After graduating from the Habibia High School in Kabul, Mr. Popalzai comleted his degree at the Fine Arts Department of Kabul University in 1985. After becoming a refugee in Pakistan, he painted many posters for the Afghan resistance. He also drew many portraits of Afghan refugees which are timeless memorials to the struggles that Afghan people endured. He now owns an art gallery in Pakistan and teaches young Afghan children art. In the past few years, he has trained over 200 children in various media of art. His favorite media is oil on canvas. His interest is in painting Afghan scenery and depicting the people's way of life. [click on images to enlarge] Tariq Rafiq: Mr. Rafiq's interest in art began at a young age and he started experimenting with painting when he was only 11 years old. He works with a variety of media including oil, acrylic, pastels, and he is also a skilled graphic designer. Mr. Rafiq's works were exhibited at the world Band in October of 1999. He has compiled a portfolio of his work and hopes to exhibit his work at galleries in the future. [click on images to enlarge] Kohzoman Ulomi: Mr. Ulomi received his degree in Petroleum engineering from the Pul Technic Engineering School in Kabul, Afghanistan in 1971. In 1975, he received his Master's Degree in Geology and Petroleum engineering from Aze Nift Kemik, the largest technical university in Moscow. He then moved to France where he studied the art of stained glass at the Beaux Art College. He worked in the stained glass field for ten years and then 'came to the United States. He loves to draw, work with glass and has a unique interest in what he calls "natural sculptures" which are art forms that he finds in nature. [click on image to enlarge] Omar Zekrya: Mr. Zekrya received his Master's Degree in Fine Art in Uzbekistan, and his work has been displayed in art shows in sixteen different countries. Seven of his paintings are in permanent exhibition in a Tashkent, Uzbekistan museum. His area of expertise is in traditional Asian miniature paintings, which are known for their exquisite detail. One of his paintings was bought by Celestial Seasonings and is currently being displayed on one of their tea boxes. [click on images to enlarge] Related Links Cross Roads of Asia: The Afghan Art Exhibition Photos By Yamah Ghiassi (April-September 2000) Ustad Karim Rahimi: The Fluid Thinker By Zaheda Ghani (January-March 2000) Impressions of Ustad Mohammad Aziz Vol I (October-December 1999) The Art of Ustad Mashal By Zaheda Ghani (July-September 1998) The Art of Sahar Maeen (April-June 2000) The Art of Solaimon Olumee Vol I (October-December 1999) Color Transfers of Reyaz Nadi Vol I (October-December 1999) Color Transfers of Reyaz Nadi Vol II (January-March 2000) The Paintings of A. Shokour Khesrawi Vol I (January-March 1998) [ feedback ] [ current issue ] Copyright © 2000 Aftaabzad Publications. All Rights Reserved. May not be duplicated or distributed in any form without permission.