When governments restrict creation, guerrilla art gets energised: Afghan artist Amanullah Mojadidi

The visual artist says the world can well expect a different side to Taliban 2.0, but only time will tell its impact on the country’s cultural heritage and its people

He is heavily but aesthetically tattooed in French, Sanskrit and Japanese. But that is only the exterior embellishment to the demeanour of prominent U.S.-born Afghan visual artist Amanullah Mojadidi.

The artist, who divides his time between Paris and Kabul, is not exactly a torn soul. On the one hand, he is opposed to the “totalitarianism of the Taliban”, which he describes as “an incredibly restrictive movement.” On the other, he shows measured pragmatism and cautious optimism even as Taliban 2.0 now appears to be firmly ensconced in the power apparatus. The 50-year-old with a brooding persona, piercing eyes and flowing beard has pilloried warlords, Western militias and governments with his tongue-in-cheek yet overt artworks. Credited with playing an important role in the resurgence of art in Afghanistan, he has worked with young Afghans to promote graffiti as art.

Fresh from his return from Italy, where he curated a major art exhibition and public programme on Afghanistan, Mojadidi takes time off to talk about the situation in his home country and how it impacts him. Excerpts: