Afghan Woman Risks All For Murals
The Los Angeles Times reports: ‘Armed with cans of spray paint, 28-year-old Afghan graffiti artist Shamsia Hassani ventures into the streets of Kabul to create feminist murals on the walls of abandoned, bombed-out buildings. She has to work fast — only 15 to 20 minutes before she flees. Some works are left incomplete. But for a woman like Hassani, that’s what it takes when art is weapon of mass expression. Hassani’s art shows women in traditional clothing with musical instruments. In subtle ways, they defy gender roles: These women are not playing the instruments to entertain someone else but, rather, wielding them on their own special terms.’ [photo: Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times]
