NEH Sponsors Exhibition and Panel on Art and Religious Freedom

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is pleased to sponsor an exhibition of oil paintings and a panel discussion in Washington, D.C. organized by Arizona State University's Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict (CSRC). The exhibition features the work of Dr. Mohammad Yousof Asefi, a former physician and prominent Afghan artist who, in the 1990s, saved works of art in Kabul's National Gallery and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from destruction by the Taliban by masking their contents.

The program, "Repression, Resilience and Renewal: Religious Freedom and the Art of Dr. Mohammad Yousof Asefi," will take place from July 21-23 with a three-day public exhibition of Dr. Asefi's artwork and a July 23 panel discussion on "The Courage to Create: Art, Humanity, and Religious Freedom." These events mark the 20th anniversary of a special NEH recognition of Dr. Asefi for his courageous efforts to defend and protect cultural treasures and artistic free expression.

In the 1990s, Dr. Asefi risked his life and his family's security to conceal paintings targeted for destruction by the Taliban, helping preserve the artworks for future generations. When the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in 1996, the regime's ban on art depicting living beings led to the destruction of countless artworks and punishment of artists who included people or animals in their works. To protect works of art hanging in the Afghan National Gallery, Dr. Asefi worked in secret to paint over 120 oil paintings showing humans or animals with layers of watercolor. Following the fall of the Taliban in 2001, Dr. Asefi played a key role in Afghanistan's cultural revival by helping restore the artworks he had altered and opening a public art gallery in Kabul. In 2005, a delegation from NEH traveled to Kabul to present Dr. Asefi with a commendation from the United States government for his "extraordinary and heroic role in the defense of Afghan culture."

After the Taliban returned to power in 2021, Dr. Asefi fled Afghanistan with his family and resettled in Arizona. He now serves as the inaugural artist-in-residence at ASU's Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict.

"Dr. Asefi's courageous work serves as a reminder of the critical but often overlooked role cultural heritage and creative expression play in the flourishing of a free society," said NEH Senior Deputy Chairman Michael McDonald. "The National Endowment for the Humanities is pleased to sponsor these events honoring his service to the Afghan people and the world so that new audiences may learn from his inspiring story."

With support from a $30,000 NEH Chairman's Grant, the ASU Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict will host a public exhibition of Dr. Asefi's artworks at the Ambassador Barbara Barrett & Justice O'Connor Washington Center in D.C. from July 21-23. Through themes of artistic expression, cultural heritage, intellectual freedom and resilience, the exhibition examines the power of art to resist repression, preserve memory, and inspire the human spirit.

Dr. Asefi will also present at the center on Thursday, July 23 at a 3 P.M. panel discussion, where he and Knox Thames, a human rights lawyer and religious freedom advocate, and other experts will explore how art serves as a tool of resistance and resilience, and the ways in which cultural, political, and religious forces shape artistic expression.

Register for these events online at: csrc.asu.edu/events

National Endowment for the Humanities:The National Endowment for the Humanities supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy, and other areas of the humanities by funding selected, peer-reviewed proposals from around the nation. Additional information about the National Endowment for the Humanities and its grant programs is available at neh.gov.