Ghafar Tajmohammad

Through his artistic works Ghafar connects the two different worlds he belongs to: Afghanistan and England. “Growing up in London, I was shy of my refugee background. I hid it as if it was something bad. People always tried to guess where I’m from, and I was struggling with being different. Now I am reconciled with my past and am proud of my Afghan origin, speaking of it maybe too often, trying to make up for the lost time”, contemplates the artist.

Ghafar moved from Afghanistan when he was a three year old child, so most of his life he observes the country as it appears in the news media. However, he always pays attention to the diverse aspects of its history, researching different sources for a full image of Afghanistan. He had learned about the connection between the countries through lapis lazuli, which was sourced in Afghanistan and used in the Renaissance paintings in Europe. In the British Library he admired the marvellous Afghan illuminations that were made in the 15th century.

Ghafar has visited the country once, but it still feels very abstract to him. So he creates his own Afghanistan within his work. To do that, he often focuses on the carpet ornaments, an indispensable part of a traditional household. “Painting ornaments makes me feel at home, and at the same time I am designing my own home by painting”, explains the artist. With the new materials and approaches he gives a fresh life to the ornaments, and creates captivating works that speak for themselves. It is a good way to appeal to those who are not familiar with Afghan traditions. However, Ghafar does not stop exploring different ways to connect the viewers with the subject of his country. He often returns to the motif of Burka, feeling in the subject the presence of his early lost mother. “Burka is like a spirit: it doesn’t show a particular person’s face, but conveys the idea of a person nevertheless. It is no one in particular, and can be everyone at the same time”. Feeling the responsibility of representation of his country, Ghafar strives to be an honest artist. He accomplishes his goal by presenting diverse aspects of his country, not glossing over its history. His works successfully share his perspective to those who are interested in Afghanistan behind the newspaper headlines.