- Afganistán
Kimia is a digital artist and animator from Afghanistan. She studied journalism at Kabul University, but when the Taliban seized power, the door to a career in media closed before it could open. Instead, she turned to art — and found her voice there.
Her work centers on the girls and women of Afghanistan who are denied the right to go to school, attend university, or work. Through her art, she strives to be a voice for them and to show the world the harsh reality of their lives.
Because of her artwork, it was no longer safe for Kimia to remain in Afghanistan. Leaving the country was difficult as well: under Taliban rule, women are not allowed to obtain a passport or travel abroad without a mahram, a male guardian. With the support of AFI-ILA, she was admitted to Germany through the Federal Admission Programme (BAP) for Afghanistan, where she was able to begin a new life.
Today, Kimia can share her art and ideas freely. Her work has already been shown in exhibitions in Germany and in New York — and she remains committed to being a voice for the women of Afghanistan.
