Sparks in the Dark is bringing 208 weeks of resilience to Brunswick this August.
Celebrating the strength and creativity of women touched by the ongoing effects of the Afghanistan war, Sparks in the Dark was developed by emerging artists Mursal Azizi and Kat Rae and fuses traditional and contemporary art practices.
The installation will incorporate new works from Azizi and Rae alongside 208 embroidered handkerchiefs from more than 30 women living in Afghanistan—representing each week since the Taliban started working to erase women from Afghan society.
The installation is the manifestation of the artists’ separate but enmeshed experiences as women impacted by war: Rae as an army veteran and war widow, and Azizi as an Afghan woman, born and raised in Afghanistan. Azizi fled to Pakistan in 2021 after the Taliban seized power, spending two years living as a refugee before relocating to Australia in 2023.
Celebrate the opening of Sparks in the Dark with delicious Afghan food, saffron tea, and local embroidery expert Shokira Jan.
