University in Exile for Afghan Artists
In collaboration with the Artistic Freedom Initiative, the Consortium is committed to bringing 10 endangered Afghan artists on 1-year fellowships to the programs and divisions in the arts at The New School. When we succeed, the Consortium will have effectively created a second University in Exile at The New School, the first of which was founded by The New School’s first President, Alvin Johnson in 1933. Artists who have accepted a fellowship offer are profiled below.
Waheedullah Saghar, Vocalist, former head of the Music Department for the Faculty of Fine Arts at Kabul University
In residence fall 2024 & spring 2025
Waheed Saghar is an Afghan academic, vocalist, and the former head of the Music Department of the Faculty of Fine Arts at Kabul University, the only musical program of its kind in Afghanistan. Saghar earned his PhD in Vocal Music in 2017 and has published multiple articles on classical vocal music in Afghanistan and India. His international performances, both solo and as part of a group, include appearances at the Luxembourg Philharmonie, Melody from East Festival, Uzbekistan, as well as events in Finland, Germany, India, and Sweden.
Waheed is being hosted by the Mannes Faculty at the College of Performing Arts at The New School.
Fatimah Hossaini, Photographer, Curator, and Founder of the Mastooraat Organization
In residence fall 2024 & spring 2025
Fatimah Hossaini is an acclaimed Afghan-Tehran born artist, award-winning photographer, curator, and founder of the Mastooraat Organization. A recipient of the prestigious Hypatia International Award and honored by the Women’s Forum fellow in France as a rising talent and youth ambassador class of 2022. Fatimah holds a BA in Photography from the University of Tehran and a degree in Industrial Engineering. A tireless advocate for women’s and refugee rights, Fatimah’s work on national and international platforms has been instrumental in driving social change. Renowned for her expertise in staged photography, Fatimah’s use of vibrant color and passionate storytelling are hallmarks of her acclaimed work. Her vibrant staged photography, which highlights themes of identity and femininity and unseen portraits, particularly within the Afghan experience, has been exhibited worldwide, from solo exhibitions in Europe and Asia to renowned art festivals across Asia, Europe to the USA and featured in prominent publications such as Time, The Guardian, Arte and Vogue and many more.
Fatimah is being hosted by the School of Arts, Media, & Technology at Parsons School of Design.
Mujib Mehrdad, Poet, Writer, Journalist
In residence spring 2024 & fall 2024
Mujib Mehrdad is a writer of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction whose work spans the literary, academic, television, and journalistic fields. He has published many collections of essays and poetry, including “Gladiators Are Still Dying,” which won the 2007 Afghan Civil Society’s literature contest, and “Dolphin’s Alley,” which won the Ahmad Shamlou Poetry Award in 2021. Until 2022, Mehrdad served as Editor-in-Chief of the Afghan newspaper, Hasht-e Subh.
He is being hosted by the Creative Writing Program in the Schools of Public Engagement at The New School.
Kabir Mokamel, Visual Artist
In residence spring 2024 & fall 2024
Kabir Mokamel is a visual artist and activist who has enjoyed international success in his career as a painter, graphic designer, creative director, and graffiti artist. In addition to his work as co-founder and creative director of the art activism organization ArtLords, Mokamel continues his independent art practice, which focuses on the experience of war, displacement, and the ensuing issues of diaspora, conflict, and trauma. Mokamel’s work with ArtLords has been featured in The Art Newspaper, NBC News, KUOW Seattle, Al Jazeera, The Los Angeles Times, and more.
He is being hosted by The School of Art, Media, and Technology at The New School.
Sahraa Karimi, Filmmaker
In residence spring 2023 & fall 2023
Sahraa Karimi is an acclaimed filmmaker who has enjoyed international success in her career as a groundbreaking screenwriter, director, and professor. She is the first woman ever to head Afghan Films as its Director-General. Karimi’s filmography includes works such as Afghan Women behind the Wheel (2009), and Hava, Maryam, Ayesha (2019).
She is being hosted by the School of Media Studies at The New School.
Ahmad Fanoos, Musician
In residence spring 2023 & fall 2023
Renowned Afghan musician, Ahmad Fanoos, will be the first artist in residence in the fall of 2022. Fanoos is an acclaimed vocalist, harmonium and tabla player, teacher, and composer. He is known for singing in the Ghazal style (a form of poetic recitation which originated in 6th-century Arabic verse and is popular in India and Pakistan). His performances are available to view here.
He is being hosted by the Mannes School of Music in the College of Performing Arts at The New School.
Donations
Please donate to the New University in Exile Consortium to contribute to a fellowship for an Afghan artist. Donations can be made here.
The University in Exile for Afghan Artists is made possible by generous support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art, the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, and from individual donors.