Featured Exhibit: Lighting Shadows – The Women of Afghanistan

It is a pleasure to announce the exhibition Lighting Shadows – The Women of Afghanistan, organized by Afghan Voices of Hope and PROOF: Media for Social Justice, and curated by Dr. Wilhelmina Wahlin, Jason Sapan, Gaisu Yari, and Laura Trainor. Featuring unseen photographs by Sahraa Karimi, the exhibition will be presented at the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, Norway. This marks its arrival in Europe and brings the voices of Afghan women to an international audience.

Between 2001 and 2021, Afghanistan experienced two decades of social progress, including expanded access to education, healthcare, and employment, particularly for women and girls. Since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, these achievements have been systematically dismantled through a series of decrees that restrict daily life, fundamental rights, and women’s futures.

Through personal testimonies, symbolic imagery, and a carefully curated timeline of key policies, the exhibition documents how women continue to learn, work, care for their families, and sustain their communities under severe repression and constant risk. The decrees presented directly reflect the lived experiences shared in the stories on display.

Structured around three interconnected themes, Lighting the Dark, Guarding the Flame of Hope, and Shaping the Future from the Shadow of Today, the exhibition bears witness to women’s resilience and determination to be heard. By preserving these stories, the exhibition seeks to prevent their erasure and to contribute to global efforts supporting women’s rights and meaningful international engagement with Afghanistan. The  unseen photographs by Sahraa Karimi, presented alongside an archive of Taliban decrees from Afghanistan’s Justice Archive. Together, these materials give voice to images banned in Afghanistan and to the daily policies targeting women and girls.

Sahraa Karimi is an Associate Research Scholar with a secondary appointment as a Lecturer at Yale University. Sahraa Karimi is an Afghan-Slovak film director, screenwriter, and university lecturer whose work bridges art, politics, and the lived experiences of women under oppression.