The power of art as activism.
What does it take to change perspective?
That’s the question behind Streets of Afghanistan, a bigger-than-life art exhibition that highlights the beauty and soul of the land and the people of Afghanistan while challenging existing perceptions of the war-torn country.
These aren’t your average travel photos. With life-sized images, the exhibit, a project by Mountain2Mountain, is a ground-breaking collaboration of Afghan and Western photographers, immersing the viewer in the busy streets of Kabul, transporting them directly into the culture and mindset of the country’s people. Through art, we have chance to step into a world that most of us will never see.
Focused around connecting communities through art, this fall the traveling exhibit will return to the place where the images originated, bringing the images back to the streets of Kabul and making the project come full circle.
“These images have allowed the voices and stories of the Afghan community to be heard, unedited, in the United States. Presenting them on the streets of Kabul to share with the Afghan gives back to a people from which so much has been taken and used to fulfill a particular narrative. The power of public art ignites conversation, community, and opens our eyes to both the beauty and the heartbreak seen every day throughout Afghanistan,” says Mountain2Mountain founder Shannon Galpin.
This kind of an endeavor does not come without costs, and Streets of Afghanistan is currently fundraising to make the Afghani exhibit a reality. You can support the project on Kickstarter.
Images: Streets of Afghanistan