Art
Arming Kabul's Girls with Skateboards
"She was wearing such a beautiful color, a sort of inky teal," photographer Jessica Fulford-Dobson said of the Afghan girl with the carefully tied headscarf whose portrait she took last year.
Afghanistan
Art
Traditional Craft Meets Conflict in Afghan War Rugs
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — War and conflict have long had a role in the production of art.
Art
Mankind's Mess, Subsumed by Beautiful Landscapes
In the middle of the night, photographer Simon Norfolk dips a garden rake, wrapped in shaggy white carpet — a makeshift wick — into petroleum and sets it on fire.
Art
Photographing the Destructive Isolation of a US Military Base in Afghanistan
LONDON — The documentary Restrepo (2010) opens with a dramatic shot of a helicopter whirring through the craggy brown peaks, green fields, and deep valleys of Afghanistan.
News
After Protesting Sexual Violence, Afghan Artist Forced into Hiding
An Afghan artist who enacted a performance against sexual molestation in a crowded Kabul marketplace has been forced into hiding, AFP reported.
News
UNESCO Announces New Cultural Center for Bamiyan Valley
It's rare that architects have the opportunity to design a building for a UNESCO World Heritage site — much more so for one recently devastated by cultural destruction.
Art
Should the Buddhas of Bamiyan Rise Again in Afghanistan?
After a reconstruction effort covertly built what appeared to be the beginnings of giant feet, the rally is growing to resurrect the Buddhas of Bamiyan — demolished in 2001 by the Taliban.
News
Three Afghani Masterpieces Face Same Threats, Different Futures
Three architectural wonders from 12th century Afghanistan are currently in danger of collapse: the minaret of Jam in Ghur province and the two "Victory Towers" in Ghazni
Opinion
Making the Ugly Attractive: A Self-Propelled, Biodegradable Mine Detonator
Afghan designer Massoud Hassani has created an elegant, efficient solution for a horrific, violent problem: His Mine Kafon is a wind-powered device made from plastic and bamboo that triggers land mines without hurting civilians.
Interview
Dread Scott Is Bringing the Wars Home
I encountered Dread Scott's curious flag project, “Flags Are Very Popular These Days” (2011), on Facebook and was fascinated by its simplicity. Last month, the artist placed the flags of four nations (Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and Pakistan) on overpasses in upstate New York. These symbols of pride for
Opinion
Required Reading
In this week's recommended reading … photo essays on Afghanistan and the death of Osama bin Laden, a profile of Barbara Kruger, art won't make you unemployed, how death (or imprisonment) changes an artist's work, Hans Ulrich Obrist talks to Julian Assange, and a profile of suspected WikiLeaks source
Opinion
For Afghanistan, Museum Loans as Cultural Diplomacy
Though the National Museum of Afghanistan is nowhere near running at full capacity and still hasn't recovered many of the artifacts lost from its collections in the upheaval of the past decade, a touring exhibition of some of the museum's signature works is bringing both funding and visibility to a