Order of the Minister of Information and Culture of Afghanistan that prohibits the arts works and participation of Mohsen Taasha, Amin Taasha and Azizullah Hazara in any future art exhibitions in Kabul.
Only a week after the scandalous plot against the Hazaras
through the book called “The Atlas of non- Pashtoon ethnics in Afghanistan”, the Hazaras are again victims of
racism and discrimination in Afghanistan.
This time, a group of the Hazara Contemporary Artists was
banned, faced with physical violence by the police and the officials of
ministry of information and culture. Then their art works were confiscated by
the order of the Minister of Information and Culture of Afghanistan, from the
exhibition called “a study of view” supported by Documenta 13 at the National
Art Gallery of Afghanistan in Kabul.
The order released by the Ministry of Information and Culture
of Afghanistan prohibits the participation of these artists and their works in
any other exhibitions in Afghanistan.
In midday June 21st 2012 during the
preparation for the exhibition, the Minister of Information and Culture and
some other officials of his office came to the exhibition venue where they used
violence against the artists and applied restrictions against works of three
artists; Mohsen Taasha, Amin Taasha and Azizullah Hazara. They banned four art
works in total and confiscated them all.
The four confiscated art works belong to Mohsen Taasha,
Amin Taasha and Azizullah Hazara; the three artists belonging to the ethnic
minority Hazara.
Mohsen Taasha whose works were banned in Kabul
on June 21 2012, is an Afghan (Hazara) artist, winner of Afghan Contemporary
Prize 2010 and a participant of Documenta 13 2012 in Kassel
Germany.
In
addition to Documenta, previously Mohsen Taasha’s works are being exhibited in
private galleries in Prague and Paris.
The
Exhibition, “a study of view” is organized by the support of the Documenta and
the Goethe Institute in Kabul.
The official reaction by the Documenta and Goethe Institute in this
regard will soon be published on their websites.
Many of the Afghan Contemporary Artists have so far condemned
minister’s censorship and his illegal approach to ban and confiscate art works.
"A Man Reading Holy Quran", Mohsen Taasha's work, considered to be non-Islamic, was banned and confiscated by the Ministry of Information and Culture of Afghanistan on June 21 2012 in Kabul.
"A Combination of Letters and Words" a work by Azizullah Hazara that is also considered to be non Islamic and was banned and confiscated by the Ministry of Information and Culture of Afghanistan on June 21 2012 in Kabul.
Source for this article:
Hazara People International Network
Kabul Press.org
For Further Information:
Hazara People International Network's reaction
Reazione del sito Popolo Hazara contro la censura e il razzismo
Afghan Artists Participation in Documenta 13, a report on BBC Persian
Reaction on Kabul Press against censorship and discrimination
Reaction by National Front of Afghanistan European Branch
Reaction by National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan
When they enchain art and freedom of expression (an article)
Mohsen Taasha's page on Facebook:
Mohsen Taasha on Documenta 13 webpage
Mohsen Taasha's works on Nafas Online Art Magazine
