Ferdous Samim

Buddha in Afghanistan In the 6th century AD, the towering Buddha statues, known as Salsal and Shah Mama, were carved into the mountains of Bamiyan, Afghanistan. These statues became a symbol of light and hope, drawing people to pray and meditate, making Bamiyan a holy city. Despite the challenges over centuries, including the Taliban's destruction of the statues in 2001, the Buddhas still stand tall and are remembered worldwide for their beauty and significance. Bamiyan, with its lack of electricity, offers a stunning view of the stars, adding to the city's mystique. In the 7th century AD, Buddhist artists were inspired by the caves behind the statues, using oil colours to bring their imaginations to life on the walls of the caves, today known as the earliest oil paintings.  Fast forward to 2021, Behrang Ati, an Afghan artist born in the 1990s in Ghazni, found inspiration in the Buddha statues during a critical moment in Afghanistan's history. As the Taliban returned to power in August 2021, Behrang, like many artists, was forced to flee. Before leaving, he hid his works and began experimenting with digital painting. His collection, Buddha in Afghanistan, was completed in Herat in 2021.  This digital collection features 18 pieces of Buddha, reflecting Behrang’s emotions during a time of upheaval. The artworks are now available for sale in digital form and prints.

Almond eye is another name of the third biggest ethnic group of Afghanistan, called Hazara. Their physical appearance has made their artists seem to fly. With Bamiyan, the holy site of Buddhists on the silk road in central Afghanistan, as their centre in Hazaristan, they became the protector of the old Buddhas of Bamiyan for centuries which had been made during 544-594 CE. These statues represent Greco-Buddhist art even after they were exploded by the Taliban in March 2001. Latif Eshraq’s oldest daughter was born on the same day as Shah Mama was planned to be destroyed. The news about it, affects Eshraq profoundly and exponentially. Shah Mama is identified as the Queen Mother, and the first Buddha sculpture in Bamiyan is named after her. Thirty eight metres tall in the east side of the mountain, artists carved her to be among the firsts who welcome the sun. Eshraq and his wife decide to name their daughter Shahmama. Years later, when Shahmama got older, he was inspired to paint with his brush a portrait of one of the oil mural paintings of Bamiyan’s caves which dates back to the 7th century. These paintings are identified and recognised as the oldest evidence of oil painting in the world. They are the worlds’ shared cultural heritage and supposed to be protected. These oil paintings survived the 2001 bombard attack and are not totally destroyed, so the hope is still there. To shop: artsy.net/partner/namad-gall…

Behrang Ati's portrait collection, titled 'My Surrounding's Portraits,' captures a profound engagement with the creative process and an evaluation of societal themes. Follow this link to visit this collection on our @artsy page: artsy.net/show/namad-gallery…

“Finding the secret of artwork is the reason why a person becomes an art enthusiast.” Latif Eshraq Artwork: Flee, Latif Eshraq, 2022, South of France, 30 x 40 cm, Oil on canvas. Visit our gallery from the comfort of your own space with your goggles: glry.xyz/namad

0s and 1s gave us the ability to picture the past and look into the future. Your amateurs are representing your actual being in Namad Gallery. It’s greatly appreciated. To visit our current exhibition: glry.xyz/namad For inquiries: [email protected] #VR

“Art is about connection. So, my job is done for now. It is your task to describe and interpret.” Latif Eshraq Artwork: Mummified, Latif Eshraq, 2019, Afghanistan, 30 x 40 cm, Oil on canvas. To visit: glry.xyz/namad For inquiries: [email protected]

We invite you with pleasure to enjoy the dance of colours through Latif Eshraq’s brush. “War of Giants, number 12” is one of War of Giants collection completed in France in 2022. For inquiries: [email protected] #vr #gallery

“Elephants have the longest pregnancy period for an average of 18 to 22 months of any living mammal.” BBC Eshraq calls this work “recreation” which was completed in 2018, in Kabul. To visit this work in our Gallery: glry.xyz/namad #namadgallery #art #painting #vr

“It is not my judgment, it is the description of what I’ve seen and experienced in Kabul” Latif Eshraq “War of Giants, 1” was completed by Latif Eshraq in France in 2022. He attempts to show his experiences of what in Kabul happened from 2001 until the end of 2021.

Latif Eshraq: A Journey of Artistic Discovery Namad Gallery is happy to represent Latif Eshraq. Our website: namadgallery.com Our virtual gallery: glry.xyz/namad

The parade is one of Latif Eshraq’s paintings inspired by old working men in the West of Kabul, in 2019. This artwork is on display and you can visit it anytime: glry.xyz/namad Our website: namadgallery.com #art #paintings #colours #web3 #metaverse

“As a human being I have the senses to feel my surroundings & I can’t stay away from what I face. There are moments when some situations make me emotional & I know my task is to bring those emotions into reality by being heart-oriented. The origin of feelings is the heart.“ L.E

Happy New Year! 2024 Website: namadgallery.com VR: glry.xyz/namad #NewYear #2024NewYear

‘War of Giants’ is a new collection of our artist, Latif Eshraq. He painted them after he had to leave his motherland for the third time two years ago. Our website: namadgallery.com You can visit our virtual gallery with meta-quest goggles: glry.xyz/namad

“Art has a straight way to the heart. The heart has neither guard nor any protection, it is naked. Anything that comes out from the Heart has the purest form of oneself. So, Art can be the most incredible way to express oneself.” Latif Eshraq #vr #web3 #Afghanistan

Hamed Sarfarazi - Journalist We thank @Hamedsarfarazi for visiting our virtual gallery. If you like to visit, please search for glry.xyz/namad on the browser of your meta-quest goggles. For more info: namadgallery.com #web3 #metaverse #tech #art #painting

Ambush is one of Latif Eshraq’s works and remains the only artwork that survived the loss of our art gallery in Kabul due to the the collapse of the Afghan government in August 2021.

Eshraq mostly used colors made of natural materials for this painting on felt. It marked his first attempt at working on felt. Namad is made of sheep wool, and is an entirely handmade product produced by women in rural areas of Afghanistan, particularly Bamyan.

Mina Hosseini is telling us about her experience after visiting our virtual gallery. Our website: namadgallery.com Our VR: (meta quest 2) glry.xyz/namad #art #artists #userexperience #vr #web3 #metaverse #artgallery