By Yamah Ghiassi
April-Sept. 1999
Lemar-Aftaab
On Sunday, June 6th at the Johnson Center Ballroom at George
Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, the Afghan Students
Association (www.asaweb.org) held an Afghan art exhibit. The event was scheduled from 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. with an admission of $10 and proceeds going to charity. The exhibit presented over 30 Afghan artists showcasing a wide array of work.
Of the various artists that attended, the following is a presentation of 14
artists and their work. Enjoy.
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(The edited profiles of artists' are from the event's program guide.)
Masud Afandy- Mr. Afandy was a student of Amanullah Haiderzad in Kabul. After completing
his studies with Mr. Haiderzad, Afandy went on to work on his own. His main
focus is sculpting. Using clay as his medium, Afandy sculpts exaggerated
figures. His fellow artists describe his talent as creative and stylish. In
addition to art Mr. Afandy has three degrees specializing in automotive.
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Waisuddin Giasi- Mr. Giasi, born in Kabul, Afghanistan has been a lover of art since his childhood. After graduating from high school, he attended a technical school in which he concentrated on art. He continued his painting even when he served the in the army for two years. Currently he lives in Pakistan, teaching art.
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Amanullah Haiderzad- Mr. Haiderzad established and was the head professor of the Fine Arts
Department at Kabul University. Mr. Haiderzad began his studies at the
Academy of Fine Arts in Rome from 1960-1964. In 1964 his studies took him to
Carrar, Italy where he continued at the Institute of Fine Arts until 1965. In
the year 1971 Mr. Haiderzad received his MA from New York University. He is a
classical sculptor. His recent body of work take him back to his Eastern
roots and culture. His works have been exhibited in famous galleries such as
XVI Art Fair, which took place in Rome, Italy in 1964, Galleria Lerici,
Carrar, Italy 1965, The British Museum, London, England 1992, Franklin Mint
Museum, Philadelphia, 1994, International Exhibition, A Celebration of the
United Nations 50th Anniversary, Connecticut in 1995 and many more. Mr.
Haiderzad has received many awards. Some of which include, first prize gold
medial in International Exhibition, 1964, National Sculpture Society Award,
1991, Alliance of Queens Award (AQA, 1991. From 1990-1991 he was the Vice
President of the American Sculpture Association.
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Arsalan Lutfi- Whenever the topic of Arsalan Lutfi's art work comes up, the
words "different" and "new" are also heard. Mr. Lufti is pursuing his degree
in Studio Art with an emphasis on Computer Graphics at George Mason
University. With artwork so original, he has become the center of attention in his
animation classes. Almost all professors in the art department of George
Mason know Mr. Lutfi by name. He shows his talents not only in his school
work, but in his company, TriVision Inc. as well. He has gained much of his
experience from the advertisement and promotion of his company. His main
areas of interest are computer animation and filmmaking.
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Ghezal Mayel- Ms. Mayel graduated from George Mason University in May 1998
with a BS in Management Information Systems and Decision Science. She is
currently working at Booz-Allen and Hamilton as a consultant on their
Information Technology Team. At an early age she began experimenting with
acrylic paints, oil pastels, and sketching. Ms. Mayel states, "Art is not just
a hobby, it's a way for me to colorfully express my imagination and
appreciation of life's beauty and God's creations."
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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.
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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.
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Soliman Olumee- Mr. Olumee recently graduated George Mason University and is
seeking to strive for his Masters in Art History. Mr. Olumee is a native of
Kabul, Afghanistan, who immigrated to the United States in 1978. He practices
painting, sculpture, interior design, and graphic design as the principal of
his philosophy of art. His ultimate goal is to be pure, simple, outrageous,
and complete. "Islam is my faith, righteousness is my character, and jihad is
my spirit, where this guides me, I only know it will be content."
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Amanullah Parsa- Mr. Parsa studied art on a six-year scholarship from the Italian
government(1961-1965) in Accademia di Belle Arti di Rome. He graduated with a
degree in painting. He then continued his studies in San Giacomo where he
received his degree in Graphic Design. Upon returning to Afghanistan in 1967,
Mr. Parsa taught graphic art, drawing and painting at the University of
Kabul. Mr. Parsa used his incredible talent to design stamps from the
Commerce Industry(Afghanistan) to advertise Afghan rugs and astrakhan. While
in Italy, Mr. Parsa had several shows displaying his beautiful variety of
work. In 1993 he had a show at George Mason University. In 1987 he received
the Ambrogino D'oro (Gold Ambogin) from Milan City Department of Education.
Mr. Parsa also received a gold medal from specializing in recreation courses
in Milan from 1987-1988.
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Abdullah Rassoul- Mr. Rassoul received his degree in Architecture from
L'Ecole de beaux Arts. His studies took place from 1962-1969. The various media
he works with are acrylic pastels, plaster, and paints. Mr. Rassoul
is currently employed in an art gallery.
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Naghi Sanie- Mr. Sanie has studied art in Kabul, Iran and India. He graduated
from the Fine Arts University of Tehran, Iran in 1983. Later he went on to
receive his Bachelor of Arts at the Government College of Arts and Crafts.
Mr. Sanie enjoys graphic design as well as photography. Companies such as
Haft Honor Advertising and Ida Novin Advertising Company, both in Tehran,
welcomed him in the years of 1984-1998. Presently, Mr. Sania is working with
the Mustafa Center, designing the tiles with verses from the Holy Quran and
flower designs. Mr. Sanie says that art takes up most of his time and plays a
major role in his life.
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Mohammed Rahim Sheraf- Mr. Sheraf attended the school of Industry in Kabul.
After completing his attendance at the school of Industry in Kabul he began
teaching in Nejad High School, Zarghoona High School and the school of Fine
Arts in Kabul, Afghanistan. Mr. Sheraf painted stamps for the Ministry of
Communications and Post Office of Afghanistan. He received a Medal of Service
from the government for his achievements and outstanding artwork. Mr.
Sheraf's specialty is painting Afghan Marketplaces, Villages, mountainsides,
and other scenes using watercolor paints.
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Asma Zaka- Ms. Zaka is currently attending Virginia Commonwealth University.
She is a student of the School of Arts. Ms. Zaka is a first year major in
communication as well as Art design. Her main interests are graphic design
and advertising. She has always been interested in art. During her senior
year of high school, she decided to pursue art as a career. She draws in
pencil, charcoal, and paints in acrylic and watercolor. Ms. Zaka believes
that art fulfills her and makes her happy.
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Hameed Zarrabi- Mr. Zarrabi is a former student of Esteqlal High School in
Kabul. Currently he resides in Pakistan. This 25-year-old artist has truly
shown his talents to Afghans and non-Afghans both in Pakistan and America.
His main fields of interest are calligraphy and painting literary pieces from
famous Persian poets. He brings about a beauty to poems by creating different
backgrounds with vivid colors. He will soon be moving to Canada, where he
will continue his education in this field. Mr. Zarrabi is thinking about
forming his own calligraphy or painting classes one day.
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Other work by
Yamah Ghiassi:
Photos of the 1998 Afghan Soccer Challenge Cup (July-Sept. 1998)
Related links:
The Art of Ustad Mashal by Zaheda Ghani (July-Sept. 1998)
The Paintings of A. Shokour Khesrawi (Jan.-March 1998)
A Brief Look at Behzad of Herat by Farhad Azad (July-Sept. 1997)
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