Kabir Mokamel
Kabir Mokamel is Co-Founder and Creative Director of ArtLords. He possess strong creative, managerial and communication skills. With more than 14 years of hands on experience in the field of visual communication, marketing and advertising, he has managed a range of projects from conceptual to completion phase.
Omaid Sharifi
Omaid Sharifi is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of ArtLords. He is the current Millennium Leadership Fellow of Atlantic Council and Asia Society 21 Fellow. Mr. Sharifi is Anti-Corruption Excellence Award Winner, Afghanistan’s Social Media Award Winner for encouraging offline action in 2016 and 2015 respectively. He is also selected among 50 Global Human Rights Change Makers by Equitas in Montreal, Canada and recognized by H.E. First Lady of Afghanistan.
Artlords was established in 2014. It is a grassroots movement of artists and volunteers motivated by the desire to pave the way for social transformation and behavioral change through employing the soft power of art and culture as a non-intrusive approach.
Who We Are
What we Do
The group sees the potential and desire for change in young population of Afghanistan to address concerns and create solutions based on alternative ways of thinking. It is finding solution in the absolute center of the problem itself. ArtLords realized the opportunity for converting the negative psychological impact of blast walls on the people of Kabul into a positive visual experience.
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By placing issues of concerning ordinary citizens on the blast walls, ArtLorlds has been enabled to create a space where social issues can be expressed in a visual manner and discussed in the street, where the open art workshops takes place. ArtLords provide a platform for dialogue among ordinary people on the streets of Kabul. It is giving a visual voice to the voiceless, which is the motivated dynamic behind the very existence of the movement.
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ArtLords is to promote the message of peace in Afghanistan through the expressivity of the arts and culture. It wished to portray a visual representation of the communities’ desire to move from war towards peace. Creating a relationship between people and art, by bringing art to the people, allows for a much-needed psychological shift that opens up people’s minds to new prospects. The use of art opens up space for ‘emotions without affiliation’. It stimulates critical thought and helps people understand that war is a commonly shared experience and that only a common effort, coming from within society, can bring about peace in Afghanistan.
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ArtLords will pursue an arts-based methodology that will be conceptually grounded, coordinated with other civil society stakeholders and representatives, infused with a long-term perspective vis-à-vis the nature of social change and will be responsible about evaluating its effectiveness and impact. ArtLords will thereby act as a platform that allows for the use of the arts for specific tasks that measurably contribute to consent building on any given subject and that contributes to the positive transformation of society.
Starting a visual dialogue to entice people to express and talk around pressing social issues to affect change
(promoting critical thinking)
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Transforming the aggressive face of Kabul, spoiled by blast walls into a pleasant visual experience
Introducing creative methods to address social issues and taboos, affect behavioral change by employing the soft power
of art and culture as a non intrusive method
Empowering people to start their own initiatives
(come up with creative solutions for nation building in the areas of their expertise)
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Immediate objectives of ArtLords
Long-term goals of ArtLords
Create a youth movement in order to hold the authorities accountable
(addressing the culture of corruption, impunity, injustice and irresponsibility)
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Turning Kabul into the street art capital of the world
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Utilizing art and culture as a potential alternative to solve conflict, build trust and foster understanding based on knowing the other on basic human level between communities and nations.
