Note: Yama Rahimi is an artist, curator, and advocate for artists’ rights. He heads the “Freedom Canvas Initiative” organisation. Rahimi earned a degree in Film from Kabul University’s Faculty of Fine Arts in 2014 and, until the end of 2015, taught at the Institute of Fine and Applied Arts. His artistic career began during his studies, and he has taken part in numerous exhibitions. In late 2015, he migrated to Germany. Rahimi says financial pressures and negative attitudes toward cinema in Afghanistan have pushed many filmmakers to seek success in the international market. According to him, that distance from a domestic audience has gradually led society to turn away from, and even grow hostile to, cinema. He believes the entry of unprofessional people into filmmaking has further damaged the craft’s reputation and deepened the rift between art and the public. Rahimi also notes that, through the Freedom Canvas Initiative, he has sent works by seven leading Afghan artists to the Moon aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, stored on a special hard drive.
The Hasht‑e Subh Daily: Mr Rahimi, thank you for your time. How did you enter the world of cinema? Were you interested in filmmaking from the start, or did that passion develop later in life?
Rahimi: Thank you as well for arranging this interview. Since childhood, I have loved art, spending my time drawing and humming tunes. When I entered the Faculty of Arts, I made a firm decision to choose cinema, because I felt the medium offered great freedom for storytelling and seemed to promise a better job market. I soon realised, however, that mainstream commercial forms did not align with my interests, so I gravitated toward conceptual, experimental, and contemporary structures. To date, I have made six short films and have explored photography, installation, and performance art. My work revolves around social and political themes such as violence against women, migration, connections, and separations.
The Hasht‑e Subh Daily: What challenges did filmmaking face in Afghanistan, and how did you cope with them?
Rahimi: Art in Afghanistan encounters many obstacles. Chief among them is the gulf between society and culture. Sadly, Afghanistan citizens lack a deep understanding of art, so art and artists receive little acceptance or value. Artists possess sensitive, delicate souls; if they are ignored, they gradually wither and fall silent.
Yet when art is properly understood and appreciated, it can steer society toward awareness and prosperity. Cinema in particular needs a sustainable cycle and a defined job market, conditions lacking in Afghanistan. On one hand, financial hardships, and on the other, prevailing negative views of cinema, make people reluctant to watch films. Meanwhile, filmmakers often chase success in global markets, and that distance from domestic viewers has caused the public to drift away from, even come to dislike, cinema.
The arrival of untrained or unprofessional individuals who, without the necessary knowledge and skills, produce works they call films has sullied the art’s reputation and widened the gap between society and the arts. This has further soured public opinion and created even greater hurdles for genuine artists striving to create quality work.
The Hasht‑e Subh Daily: How has life in exile affected your filmmaking? Has migration opened new storylines for you?
Rahimi: My art stems from my own experiences, so migration—an embodiment of change—has transformed the subject matter of my work, while new, modern experiences have greatly influenced its form. That said, exile is rooted in despair, dependence, and darkness. Life, to me, is a journey; we should let the wind carry us, not cling to the earth. It is always good to keep moving, embrace change, and strive to live on, yet never forget our roots and memories.
The Hasht‑e Subh Daily: Do you feel that distance from Afghanistan has altered your perspective on the country’s culture and social issues?
Rahimi: A person must move toward the positive along the path of change. I believe in fusion, in retaining what is good while discarding unwanted, unpleasant habits.
The Hasht‑e Subh Daily: How have you dealt with new cultural and social challenges in your host country, and have these experiences helped generate new ideas for your work?
Rahimi: Arriving in a new country means beginning again, and one has to be ready for that. There are many challenges, from language and culture to social differences, but the key is how we face them. I think we should approach them with curiosity—walk alongside them, sometimes ignore them, and at times fight them.
Art, in particular, has a strange relationship with hardship, for it often takes shape amid ugliness and pain. Crucially, art can help the artist shed life’s heavy burdens and serve as a form of meditation.
The Hasht‑e Subh Daily: How have migration and distance from home influenced your artistic identity? Do you still see yourself as an Afghanistan filmmaker, or have you acquired a new identity?
Rahimi: As an artist, migration and separation from home have had deep, multifaceted effects on my artistic identity. Exile has given me the chance to explore new inclinations and perspectives while drawing on my cultural strengths and history.
I am still recognised as an Afghan artist and take pride in my roots and culture. At the same time, living in a new environment and engaging with different cultures have shaped a new, hybrid artistic identity. This allows me to tackle diverse subjects that once seemed unimaginable.
This blending of identities helps me present multicultural narratives and critical thinking in my work. Thus, although Afghan roots remain visible in my art, I have gained a new standing in the art world that lets me operate in fresh arenas.
The Hasht‑e Subh Daily: Has interacting with other cultures changed your filmmaking methods and storytelling?
Rahimi: Yes. Migration gave me the opportunity to engage with various cultures, profoundly influencing my artistic methods and storytelling. Exposure to new cultures and experiences has opened fresh horizons and perspectives in my creative process.
These interactions taught me that art can be a universal language, enabling us to share feelings and experiences. I have incorporated diverse cultural elements into my work, enriching my narratives. Each culture has its own characteristics and stories; I strive to reflect those stories in a contemporary manner.
Ultimately, these experiences have not only improved my techniques and forms but also altered how I view social and cultural issues, enabling me to become a multidimensional artist who conveys human diversity and complexity.
The Hasht‑e Subh Daily: You launched an online exhibition titled “Hidden Statement – Art in Afghanistan”. What is it, and what activities does it showcase?
Rahimi: In today’s Afghanistan, hopes for democratisation and freedom, nearly four years after the withdrawal of Western aid forces and the Taliban’s takeover, have been painfully extinguished. Yet Afghan artists, despite threats, bans, and hardships, continue their resistance, voicing dissatisfaction through art.
With remarkable determination, these artists convey individual and collective experiences, telling stories of hope, resistance, and identity. Afghanistan suffers not only from poverty and natural disasters but also from terror, dictatorial rule, rampant corruption, and severe restrictions. The Taliban strictly ban figurative art depicting living beings, especially humans. Consequently, some works have been destroyed for security reasons, and many artists have had to abandon their pieces in crisis. Some of those works survive only in secrecy or documentation.
Despite everything, artists persist. So far, 36 exhibitions of their works have been held in major art centres around the world, offering a platform for their creativity, courage, and endurance. These pieces not only reflect Afghan identity and culture but also send a powerful message of hope and resilience. Even in the darkest conditions, art finds a way to speak and to give voice to the silenced.
The Hasht‑e Subh Daily: Recently, reports said a non‑profit organization in Germany, in an unprecedented move, is sending digital copies of works by seven Afghan artists—including you—to the Moon. How is this being done, and how were the works chosen?
Rahimi: In a joint effort with Lunar Museum of Art (LUMA) and Lonestar Data Holdings (Lonestar), I was granted the extraordinary chance to select works by seven prominent Afghan artists, along with my own, for a mission entitled “Azadi” (“Freedom”), aimed at safeguarding humanity’s valuable data from natural disasters and other threats. On 26 February 2025, this art collection was sent to the Moon on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, stored on a special hard drive.
While art in Afghanistan is oppressed and forbidden, this launch demonstrates art’s power and refusal to yield. We proved that no tyranny can obliterate beauty and creativity—we have immortalised Afghan art. These works represent our history and culture and also carry a message of hope and defiance in the face of adversity.
The Hasht‑e Subh Daily: We have learned that you helped at least 600 artists relocate to Germany. How did you accomplish this, and what were your selection criteria?
Rahimi: After the Taliban seized Afghanistan on 15 August 2021, I resolved to help Afghanistan artists and cultural activists at risk migrate to Germany. Working with numerous organizations and non‑political individuals, we have so far succeeded in moving 600 artists and their family members. Those we assisted include:
- The majority of lecturers from Kabul University’s Faculty of Fine Arts
- The majority of lecturers from Herat University’s Faculty of Fine Arts
- Artists from the Ghulam Mohammad Maimangi Art Centre, Kabul
- More than 20 members of the Centre for Center for Contemporary Arts Afghanistan
- Independent artists from across Afghanistan
- Art students
Artists were selected based on their documentation and bodies of work.
The Hasht‑e Subh Daily: Mr Rahimi, thank you for giving us this time.
Rahimi: Thank you as well.
You can read the Persian version of this interview here:
گفتوگو با یما رحیمی؛ آثار هنری بهدلیل نگرانیهای امنیتی نابود شدهاند | روزنامه ۸صبح
