Mahtab Karami

This PhD project employs contemporary art theory and mixed methods research to investigate an often-overlooked area of contemporary/postmodern Middle Eastern painting, with a particular focus on Afghan (female) artists. The project aims to develop new comparative aesthetic theories in contemporary Afghan painting, within the extensive backdrop of three Middle Eastern countries: Iran, Iraq, and Egypt, exploring the intersection of painting aesthetics, politics, and gender. A curated digital library of images will be created, forming a permanent and vital collection of artworks otherwise currently being physically destroyed/disappeared under the brutal and misogynist Taliban regime.
The timely project will establish a substantial numeric database combining Iran, Iraq, Egypt, and Afghan painting aesthetics, along with artists’ biographical details. This database will be a springboard for statistical analysis, qualitative research, and interviews, building on my prior study and training in statistics and art evaluation. The statistical analysis is crucial in uncovering what is not immediately visible to the naked eye but is often overlooked in the visual arts. It is specifically helpful in protecting artists’ information during data gathering/analysis stages as they will be anonymised into numeric cases, thus addressing any ethical concerns toward Afghan people involved in the research (whether inside/outside their home country).
The research is crucial amidst the rapidly worsening conditions for women under Taliban-rule, where they are oppressed, their artistic value eradicated, and their societal contributions brutally restricted to forced subservience. It forms an important, impactful, and original contribution to knowledge, providing an urgent platform for oppressed Afghan (female/artists’) voices.