“Marzi nahin thi, majboori thi,” says Mohammad Salim Attaie of Kabul, explaining about how he was forced to join the army to fight Russians when he was 16. The Afghan artist, after having served in the army for three years had undertook different jobs to make the ends meet, before picking up canvas and brush in 2008 to earn a living.
Attaie has more than 500 paintings to his credit and currently is exhibiting his contemporary art in Delhi. His works are part of the Afghan Art: A Land in Conflict and Hope , showcasing Afghan art works by five artists at India International Centre Annexe Art Gallery. Following this, there will be an exhibition for sale in the India Habitat Centre in the first week of June. He says he chose India because people here value art here. “We refer to India as ‘Hindustan Sar Zameene Hunar Parvar’. It means that India is a place that nurtures art and creativity.”
Going through decades of war and bloodshed, many of Attaie’s countrymen had fled the country, longing to live a normal life. What made him stay back in Afghanistan was hope; hope that things would soon get better. “But it has been extended for quite a long time now,” he says with a helpless smile floating on his lips. Continuing his father’s business of framing, buying and selling paintings, he opened a shop in Kabul after Taliban’s fall in 2001. It was not before 2008 that he decided to make one painting and later liked it so much that he chose to take it up full time.
Attaie has not learnt painting from anyone and believes that one cannot learn art. “When an artist is born, he is born with art. If you have interest in it, you fall in love, like I am in love right now.” To the people who come to learn art from him, he tells them, “I cannot give you art classes like they give in schools but if you want to learn the way I paint, you are welcome.”
29dmc Afghan Art2
Living in a region which is stuck between conflict and hope, Attaie draws what he sees. On his way from home to his art gallery, if he finds that everything is normal, he draws “happy paintings” but if he witnesses bombardments and innocent people getting killed, his brain doesn’t allow him making “happy strokes” on the canvas. He tries his best to make as many colourful and vibrant paintings as he can. “Afghanistan has so much sadness. If I make sad paintings, it will add up to the already existing blues among the people. I want them to feel happy when they look at my paintings,” he observes.
Despite its rich and ancient art heritage there are few takers of art in Afghanistan, which makes it difficult for any art gallery to flourish there. Inclination of people towards art, says Attaie is less in Afghanistan. He had to shut down his art gallery earlier this year because of his inability to pay rent and defray other expenses. “One has to feed one’s children, right?” he asks. With the region caught in strife for over three decades, security of life is primary. “The biggest challenge for an artist in Afghanistan is the lack of security: security of art, of family and of lives. Nothing is possible in the world without love and security.”
Attaie plans to establish a art gallery in Delhi soon because he is certain that Indians are more enlightened about art. He feels that with so many tourists, specially from abroad coming to India, it will enable Afghan art to reach every corner of the world and make people see the other side of Afghanistan. “All that people know right now is the war-hit Afghanistan. My country is a very beautiful place. We have good people, too and I want everyone to see that part.”
(On view till May 29, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.)
