Each month, we offer the spotlight to one of our researchers to exhibit their research projects in more detail.
The Featured Researcher for September 2025 is Mahtab Karami (she/her). Karami is working towards a Doctoral Award funded by SGSAH and AHRC DTP in Gendered Aesthetics in Visual Arts, Postcolonial Feminism, and Intersectional Feminism. The title of her thesis is:
Comparative Gendered Aesthetics in Contemporary Afghan painting (post 1970).
HEIs: Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design (DJCAD), University of Dundee
Supervisors:
Below, Karami gives a synopsis of her doctorate and reflects on her research, her experiences as a doctoral researcher, and the lessons she has learned during this time.
I am a second-year PhD candidate in Art and Design at the University of Dundee. My academic background combines both analytical and creative approaches: I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Statistics and a Master’s in Painting, both from the University of Tehran, Iran. This combination has given me the ability to bring quantitative and qualitative perspectives together in exploring complex cultural and artistic questions.
The central focus of my PhD is the study of gendered aesthetics in Afghan painting after 1970. The motivation behind this research is both personal and professional. Growing up in Iran, which shares eastern border with Afghanistan, I have always been aware of the deep geopolitical and cultural connections between the two countries. As a female artist and researcher, I personally experienced many of the limitations imposed on women in the fields of art and academia. These experiences shaped my interest in feminist studies and sharpened my awareness of the inequalities faced by women in creative practices. I view my academic pursuits to raise awareness about gender discrimination and inequality, and to speak for those whose voices are not being heard and are being suppressed.
My project employs a mixed method approach to investigate an area that has often been overlooked or misunderstood in scholarship: contemporary and postmodern Afghan painting, with a particular emphasis on the work of women artists. I am interested in how political instabilities, authoritarian regimes, and long-standing conflicts have shaped the production of art in Afghanistan. At the same time, I situate Afghanistan’s visual culture within a broader comparative framework that includes Iran, Iraq, and Egypt, to explore the intersections between gender, politics, and painting aesthetics across these countries. I chose the post-1970 period because it encompasses pivotal moments in Afghanistan’s history—from the Soviet invasion (1979-1989) to the Taliban’s return(August 2021) —that have profoundly influenced the country’s cultural and artistic life.
One of the most important outcomes of this project will be the creation of a curated digital library of Afghan paintings. Many of these artworks are currently at risk of destruction or erasure under the Taliban’s misogynistic regime, which seeks to erase women’s visibility and suppress their artistic expression. By collecting and preserving these works digitally, the project contributes to safeguarding cultural memory and making these invaluable artworks accessible for future scholarship.
Alongside this, I am developing a substantial database that combines visual and biographical information about artists from Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, and Egypt. This dataset allows for statistical analysis of trends and patterns that are not always visible to the naked eye. The statistical findings will also guide the qualitative phase of the project, helping to refine interview questions and deepen the analysis of gender dynamics in artistic practice.
This research is especially urgent given the rapidly worsening conditions for women in Afghanistan under Taliban rule. Afghan women today face severe restrictions on their freedoms, their creativity is suppressed, and their cultural contributions are systematically denied. In my project, I use postcolonial and intersectional feminist theories (Narayan, 1997; Yegenoglu, 1998; Kelly & Ozpinar, 2020) to critically examine how women artists navigate these conditions, asserting agency in contexts where it is constantly undermined. At the same time, I challenge Western-centric narratives that too often portray Afghan women solely as victims in need of external rescue. These narratives, rooted in what is sometimes called “white feminism,” have contributed to policies and interventions that prolonged war and instability in Afghanistan and Iraq. By contrast, my work highlights the resistance, creativity, and agency of Afghan women artists, who deserve to be understood on their own terms.
Finally, I want to stress that discussing gender discrimination in patriarchal and totalitarian systems such as the Taliban and bringing their often forgotten or overlooked discourse to the surface for further studies and actions, is not necessarily tied to politics. It is crucial to speak out against the Taliban’s problematic and misogynistic action and decisions, as they control, shape, and define individual activities—particularly those of women—in both private and public spheres. These actions pose a serious threat to gender equality in Afghan society, leading to the emergence of new forms and versions of gender discrimination and stereotypes within Afghanistan’s art and culture.
By bringing these often-overlooked dynamics to light, I hope to contribute to both academic understanding and broader conversations about gender, art, and resistance in the Middle East.
CONNECT WITH MAHTAB (she/her)
Email: 2481784@dundee.ac.uk
Instagram: @mahtabkm1994
LinkedIn: @MahtabKarami1994