Exposición
Invisible Captivity
Rada Akbar
26 January - 31 March 2024
In her photographic series Invisible Captivity , Afghan artist Rada Akbar denounces the social laws that condemn women to invisibility in the name of politics, economics and religion in Afghanistan.
These photographs show women hidden under embroidered black burqas, their bodies plastered and covered with fingerprint-shaped writing. Some of the texts are taken from suras of the Quran, which correspond to mandates addressed to women. Others reveal magical formulas extracted from talismans, usually sealed, made by mullahs to ward off fate. By revealing the contents of these documents with their esoteric iconography, the artist transgresses a religious and social taboo. She denounces the obscurantism and fear in which women are kept, condemning them to the role of victims or witches.
An artist and activist who has been a refugee in France since the Taliban’s takeover in August 2021, Rada Akbar sees her work as a struggle to give women the visibility and identity they deserve. Since August 2021, the artist has been persecuted by the Taliban . Rada Akbar is currently a refugee in Paris. She has been honored at the 2021 Mujerhoy Awards and chosen as one of the BBC’s 100 Women of the Year , among other accolades.
Rada Akbar
Rada Akbar (b. 1988, Afghanistan) is an Afghan photographer and conceptual artist whose work denounces the oppression of women in Afghanistan and reclaims their role in society and history. Through media such as painting, photography, textiles, performance, and installation, she combines elements of traditional crafts and materials to represent these realities.
One of her most iconic projects is Abarzanan (Superwomen, 2018), a series of elaborate dresses that pays tribute to prominent women in Afghan history. Another of her most representative series is Invisible Captivity (2013), which explores the religious and cultural forces that shape female identities and roles in her country. In the field of performance art, Akbar created A Speech for the Deceased (2021) in memory of artists and human rights activists who were murdered as a result of their work.
Her work has been exhibited internationally and she has received numerous accolades, including the Prince Claus Award in 2021. That same year, she was named one of the BBC’s 100 Most Influential Women.
Following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, Akbar was forced into exile in Paris, where she currently resides and continues her artistic work. Since then, she has continued to gain recognition for her powerful work, which highlights the strength and resilience of Afghan women.