Mahnaz and Somayeh bear a triple curse: they are women, artists, and Hazara in a territory where repression is the law. Since 2023, with virtually no technical resources, they have managed to produce a series of photographs, taken after the Taliban came to power in 2021, in which they capture their reality and dreams. The autofiction of their photos draws from everyday events and transports us to their world: to wild nature and the cruelty of humanity and its laws meant to civilize through alienation and gender apartheid, and bring us from the present to the recent past, when some rights were still a reality.
The game of pseudo-anonymity, and the intentional non-inclusion of the geographical location, allow their scenes and experiences to be extrapolated to those of any Afghan woman. In their images, Mahnaz and Somayeh create acts imbued with poetry, an expressive language so intrinsic to the Persian people, crystallizing pain, love, joy, captivity, and the yearning for freedom. Art saves them daily from those who oppress them. Their present is a time of alienation for women—for Afghan women—whom the artists transform into almost mythological beings who fall only to be reborn each day, with each photograph, each dance, each song, and each poem.
The work of Mahnaz and Somayeh Ebrahimi was encountered by curator Edith Arance in 2023. An initial selection of photographs was rescued and edited in the summer of 2024, first being shown in an exhibition at Galería Sura in Madrid.
Artist Bios
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Mahnaz Ebrahimi and Somayeh Ebrahimi
Mahnaz Ebrahimi (Qom, Iran, 2000) and Somayeh Ebrahimi (Qom, Iran, 2001) are two Afghan photographers and cousins who are currently located in Afghanistan. They moved there with their family of Afghan origin after attending school in Iran for several years. Before the Taliban came to power for the second time in August 2021, they lived in the capital, Kabul, where they worked as carpet weavers. After the fall of Ashraf Ghani’s government, they fled to a safer region, far from the Taliban-infested city. They belong to the Hazara ethnic group, historically persecuted for practicing Shia Islam, and especially oppressed by the predominantly Pashtun and Sunni Taliban. This oppression precipitated their decision to leave Kabul and seek refuge in mountain villages. Since then, they have worked in agriculture alongside the rest of their family.
Since 2023, both have experienced a growing interest in photography to capture their reality, denounce the situation of girls and women, and express themselves in order to understand their own world. Their photographic work is mostly in black and white. In Mahnaz’s words, “In black-and-white photography, my narrative of women is constructed, where the silence of girls is perceived more powerfully than any voice.” They were able to attend two online workshops and have since continued their self-directed learning with very limited resources, supporting each other’s development. Their journey in photography began with photos taken with their mobile phone cameras. Despite initially lacking a proper camera, the expressiveness of their photographs and their rich visual imagery caught the attention of Edith Arance, a Spanish curator in Madrid. Their work has since been exhibited in various cities in Spain, with their first exhibition at Galería Sura in Madrid between 2024 and 2025.
Organizations
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Photoville
Founded in 2011 in Brooklyn, NY, Photoville was built on the principles of addressing cultural equity and inclusion, which we are always striving for, by ensuring that the artists we exhibit are diverse in gender, class, and race.
In pursuit of its mission, Photoville produces an annual, city-wide open air photography festival in New York City, a wide range of free educational community initiatives, and a nationwide program of public art exhibitions.
By activating public spaces, amplifying visual storytellers, and creating unique and highly innovative exhibition and programming environments, we join the cause of nurturing a new lens of representation.
Through creative partnerships with festivals, city agencies, and other nonprofit organizations, Photoville offers visual storytellers, educators, and students financial support, mentorship, and promotional & production resources, on a range of exhibition opportunities.
For more information about Photoville visit, www.photoville.com
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Galería Sura
Galería Sura opened for the first time in November 2024 in Madrid, Spain, sharing space with Balqís, a bookstore recognized for its specialization in Southwest Asia and Africa. Its director and curator Edith Arance is launching a wide curatorial project that welcomes emerging photographers from those same areas. The project seeks artists and creators from outside the established and usual circles of art or photojournalism in order to amplify their voices and to tell forgotten stories, completing the narrative of the contexts in which they create their work.
Autofiction And Realism In Afghanistan
Featuring: Mahnaz Ebrahimi and Somayeh Ebrahimi
Curated by: Edith Arance
Supported by:
Locations
ON VIEW AT: #65
View Location Details Download a detailed map of this location Brooklyn Bridge Park – Emily Warren Roebling Plaza1 Water St
Brooklyn, NY 11201
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The views and opinions expressed in this exhibit are those of the exhibition artists and partners and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Photoville or any other participants and partners of the Photoville Festival.
