Center for Contemporary Arts Afghanistan in eXiLe
AFI'24 Selection:
Bahar Arfan, From Guantanamo Prison Until August 15, 2023.
AFI'24 Presentation dates:
2 October - 16 October 2024
Frankfurt Prototype
Robert Mayer Str. 4
60325, Germany
The CCAA was established in August 2004 as the first and only centre for contemporary art in Afghanistan and in 2006 established the only women’s art centre in Afghanistan to further promote women empowerment as an integral part of the democratization process and for civilization. Its aim was also to give young people the chance to express and improve their artistic talent as individuals and as creative artists to implement a new way of looking at art for the Afghan society striving towards peace, justice, democracy, freedom of expression and individuality.
The establishment of CCAA over the past five centuries was in fact a new motion and movement towards visual arts in Afghanistan. In 2008 the first Contemporary Art and the first Women’s Contemporary Painting Exhibition in Afghanistan was held by CCAA artists which was a turning point in the history of visual arts in Afghanistan.
The establishment of CCAA and its Women’s Art Centre was a major achievement - not only for Afghanistan but also for the international community in Afghanistan.
The CCAA worked closely with many international governmental organizations, particularly from European countries, the United States and Canada which has accelerated the CCAA’s growth and raised its profile both nationally and internationally; however, this brilliance also attracted the attention of fanatics and dark thinkers, so soon the CCAA was targeted.
Following the explosion at the French Cultural Centre in early 2015 the CCAA was also threatened, and it was closed in the next year, and finally its administrative part was transferred to a calm and quiet place in Kabul. Later that year the CCAA continued its activities under the name of Studio of Contemporary Arts (SCA) at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Kabul University. In 2020 - meeting the existing needs and demands - the CCAA took up its activities under the name of (Ustad Breshna) as an art training centre, growing again with young talents within and from outside of the university’s environment. It had just begun it's activities and spread its announcements, but its activities were stopped once again when the Taliban re-entered the city and once again all the artists of the CCAA were under severe security threats.
We take this opportunity to acknowledge the 20 young artists of CCAA - 14 of whom are women - who have been evacuated by the German government. Most of them have settled in Frankfurt. In 2023 CCAA in eXiLe received the formal registration as an international organization based in Frankfurt, Germany.
facebook.com/ccaainexil | @ccaa-in-exile
AFI'24 Selection:
Bahar Arfan, From Guantanamo Prison Until August 15, 2023.
AFI'24 Presentation dates:
2 October - 16 October 2024
Frankfurt Prototype
Robert Mayer Str. 4
60325, Germany