"Turquoise Mountain: Artists Transforming Afghanistan" - Mar 5, 2016 - Jan 29, 2017 at the Sackler Museum of Asian Art, Washington, DC

[Tweaked]

Turquoise Mountain: Artists Transforming Afghanistan feels a bit like an art exhibit meets public relations showcase, after all Turquoise Mountain receives funding from USAID.  But at its heart, the exhibition tells the story of a new generation of Afghan artisans who are reviving traditional crafts [<-- read this article] to save the Murad Khani district in the old city of Kabul. The artisans have often overcome health problems, being refugees, Taliban restrictions on art, and of course the continued political unrest of Afghanistan.  

The exhibit features appearances by visiting Turquoise Mountain artisans, such as ceramicist Abdul Matin Malekzada, who spent the afternoon at his wheel making pots, vases, and bowls.                 

[DonRocks]

On 5/31/2016 at 11:55 AM, Tweaked said:

Turquoise Mountain: Artists Transforming Afghanistan feels a bit like an art exhibit meets public relations showcase, after all Turquoise Mountain receives funding from USAID.  But at its heart, the exhibition tells the story of a new generation of Afghan artisans who are reviving traditional crafts [<-- read this article] to save the Murad Khani district in the old city of Kabul. The artisans have often overcome health problems, being refugees, Taliban restrictions on art, and of course the continued political unrest of Afghanistan.  

The exhibit features appearances by visiting Turquoise Mountain artisans, such as ceramicist Abdul Matin Malekzada, who spent the afternoon at his wheel making pots, vases, and bowls.                 

Thanks to Tweaked having posted this, I knew to see this exhibit, which I did today. It's a small exhibition, and can be seen in 30-60 minutes. It may sound absurd warning people about "spoilers" for an art exhibit, but I'll do so here, as the pictures I'm going to display will give you knowledge of what to expect in advance, and may take away the "surprise element" for you - in my opinion, that's not important for this exhibition, but for those of you who don't want *any* information at all, you should stop reading here, even though I believe the saying "you don't really learn something until the second time you've experienced it" applies strongly here (I actually just made that up, but it's true). I've included a lot of signs and text, because this post is intended primarily for people who have already seen "Turquoise Mountain," and want to be reminded of it. All pictures were taken with the permission of the security guards. With that, I mark the rest of this post:

*** SPOILERS FOLLOW ***

If you get out at the Smithsonian Metro exit at 14th and Constitution, the Freer Gallery is the white building on the northeast corner of 14th Street and Independence Avenue. I went late on Saturday afternoon, and was fortunate to find a parking space right on Independence Avenue, just a block away:

Stroll east on Independence, and cut north next to the Haupt Garden (the entrance is on the north side of the Freer):

Go two floors down, and you'll be directed to the exhibit by signs:

Notice that through those doors, there's a film - a very short one, perhaps ten minutes - which will give you a flavor and timeline for events: 1979-1989 was the Russian Invasion, 1989-1994 was the time of the Mujahideen, 1994-2001 was the emergence of the Taliban, and 2001-2014- was the U.S. Invasion - those four timelines are all you need to know, and the film is absolutely required watching - you'd do yourself a disservice to take the trouble to come here, and not spend ten minutes watching this continuous loop.

The Buddhas of Bamiyan are mentioned in this exhibit. Looking back, I distinctly remember that when I first heard about their destruction in March of 2001, it was the "first sign of trouble" I heard about coming from this region - it was something of a precursor to 9/11, and at the time, it affected me profoundly - in much the same way as it does when I hear about poachers slaughtering animals on the verge of extinction. Is it possible for works of art (or animals) to be more important than human life? In my mind, to a certain degree, the answer is "yes, absolutely."

The rest of the photos will give you a flavor of the one-room exhibit, which features a reconstruction of an important building in Afghanistan that was broken down, shipped here in 7,000 containers, and reassembled for this exhibit. The photos are a mix of signs, exhibits, and wooden carvings, showing how mud and timber is the traditional Afghan material of choice, with no nails being used for construction - it's very beautiful and moving. If you haven't seen the exhibition, I hope these prompt you to go; if you have, I hope these bring back fond memories.

Without this being a political statement, it's important that when we "bomb Afghanistan," particularly when we "bomb Kabul," we may also be "bombing Murad Khani":

                 

Last, but certainly not least, one of the best pictures I've taken in a long time, hopefully one that will make you laugh out loud: The crumpled figure on the right is a security guard, desperately trying to get a moment of rest, and take his weight off his feet. I hope you think it's as funny as I do: