Shajia Sirat

Art by Shajia Azhir   (1997- Afghanistan)

Art is as of thought, onto imagination, yields of the loving and impassioned heart, a consignment
of humanity, and the seed of love. It is impossible to block or sear this flowing river. I have found
my life in art, and I feel peace in my every breath, taking with art. Death, to me, is the
artlessness moment of life. Without art, life is collapsed.

I am the daughter of a land that has been burned in the fire of war for years, and today its
moans push the heart of every human being on our planet. Therefore, the human beings of our
world, especially of my country, needs more than ever art and artistic creations to refine their
disturbed mental status and to light their dark times.
I like to help the people of my land and the people of my world through art, regain their lost
human values, take a deep look around their turmoil, and play their most influential role as
human beings. In my opinion, our time is a time of man's alienation from its precious roots.
Hence, we must draw connections between today and yesterday and find the lost ones.

I create art considering two perspectives; to narrate and paint history and to fulfil my
commitment as an artist. I like to chant out the pain of my land, draw the terrible darkness of my
time on canvas, and fulfill my commitment as an artist and as a human being in front of the time.
My creations are not without shortcomings, But I try to learn consistently and have better
creations every day.

I live in a period of destruction of conscience. In the Taleban system, firstly, my being a woman is humiliated and as a free human being, I can not live with the right to life, and secondly, in this system, the art of painting is forbidden and I, who paint and am interested in this art, are considered infidels.

Several painting schools were set on fire and destroyed after the Taliban entered Kabul.