Shamsia Hassani born in 1988 (Iran) is an Afghan graffiti artist, and teacher at Faculty of Fine Arts, Kabul University. In her graffiti, Shamsia often paints women in Burqas, and fishes, symbols of the atmosphere flowing around her and her own life experiences. She uses her art to help bring positive changes to people and more specifically to wash away the depressing memories of long-time war having taken place in her country. As an Afghan girl confronting reactions motivated from traditional views, it is not always easy for Shamsia to do graffiti the way other graffiti artists would do around the world. She would sometimes work her graffiti concepts out as drawings/paintings applied onto prints of pictures taken from different parts of Kabul: a category she calls “Dream of Graffiti.” She was selected as one of Top 10 for the 2nd Afghan Contemporary Art Prize in 2009, and since then has been part of solo and group exhibitions inside and outside of Afghanistan (e.g. Germany, Australia, India, Vietnam). Teaching at fine art faculty of Kabul University, Shamsia, who is also one of the founders of Berang Arts Organization, puts her best effort to exchange her contemporary arts experiences with her students and present more artists to the community.
