Afghan Women: A Desperate Vitality

Four windows along the walls offer a view of the streets of Kabul through videos. They depict and recount the stories of three women: Laila, who founded a secret girls’ school; Souhaila, an artist and singer; and Narges, a former teacher who is fighting for the release of her husband, who is being held captive by the Taliban.

They are denied education, freedom of movement and the opportunity to express their opinions publicly. Nevertheless, they resist in secret: they learn, create art and pass on their knowledge. Through video, performance and a series of visual artworks, this immersive, performative installation invites the audience to experience the everyday resistance of women in Afghanistan in the face of systemic violence, restrictions on their freedom of movement and the gradual erosion of their rights since the return of the Taliban.

The work tells of this fragile yet unbroken vitality – at times desperate, but always alive. Despite violence and enforced silence, the bodies, voices and struggles of women in Afghanistan remain present. The videos make their stories visible and audible, whilst Khademi’s ceramics and her own presence as a performer shape the space.

Kubra Khademi is an Afghan feminist, performance and visual artist from the Hazara ethnic group, who lives in France. Her work is shaped by her life as a woman and a refugee. After studying fine art in Kabul and Lahore, she created her first public performances, in which she denounced patriarchy. In 2015, she was forced to flee Afghanistan following her performance “Armor”. In 2020, she was granted French citizenship. She was appointed a Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters, and her work has since been exhibited at numerous international institutions.

Mortaza Behboudi is a French-Afghan war correspondent and filmmaker. Known for his commitment to reporting from conflict zones, he was included in the 2019 “Forbes 30 Under 30” list in the “Media” category. In January 2023, whilst on assignment in Afghanistan, he was arrested by the Taliban’s secret service and detained for ten months. Whilst in detention, he was awarded the Freedom of Expression Prize by the International Association of Press Clubs. He has published the investigative book *Woman, Life, Freedom: A Reporter Infiltrated at the Heart of the Iranian Revolt* (winner of the 2025 Stéphane-Frantz-di-Rippel Literature Prize) as well as *Fixers: Reporters Without Bylines*.

(With English translation / Persian)