War

This artwork portrays the feeling of rejection and helplessness in the afghan culture, since it focus in a little girl in a burka trying, without success, to get the attention of a saluting afghan soldier. There are several what I find sexist phrases from the Quran in the painting to show this deplorable situation is also related to sexism, along with war and child violence. This is a metaphor for the afghan society and the importance given to war with other countries whilst forgetting their own home population is suffering, especially children and women. It is made to look home-made to create a personal and realistic tone to add to the purpose and theme of the artwork, to show what the belittled insiders of the country’s society think.

 

This artwork was created in response to an exhibition I visited in Valencia, an exhibition by the journalists Gervasio Sánchez and Mónica Bernabé, specialized in armed conflicts. The show exposes the violence against women in Afghanistan and the social issues that surged because of the current war. The existence of these human rights crimes show the lack of education, the focus on religious beliefs and the sexist laws that are part of the afghan society. I was immediately inspired by this exhibition, where I learned what some people are going through with no chance of remedy. I felt very lucky and privileged but at the same time I was enraged at what some societies have become because of political or economic wars, which, in most cases, ordinary citizens don’t support.

 

 

 

Done