Glasgow's Afghan community welcomes new exhibition to Kelvingrove

In 2020, Nick Sidle went back to create a new exhibition – but no-one could have foreseen what was about to happen, and why this second display,which opens in Glasgow today, is even more relevant and poignant.

Faces of Kabul, which runs from March 19 until April 3, tells the human story of the people of Kabul and the surrounding areas of Afghanistan in the early months of 2002, shortly after the Taliban regime had fallen.

It is a partnership between Scottish arts organisation Heartstone and Glasgow Afghan United, who support the city’s Afghan community and other diverse minority groups through a raft of initiatives.

Abdul Bostani, Director of Glasgow Afghan United, came to Scotland as a refugee at the age of 18.

“The Faces of Kabul are the faces of humanity, ordinary people plunged into extraordinary circumstances,” he says.

“This exhibition is powerful, touching and timely. As we see yet another human catastrophe unfold in Ukraine, Faces of Kabul reminds us that life can change quickly and without warning, and with the most serious consequences for civilian life.”

He adds: “It is just 20 years since these pictures were taken and Afghanistan is again in Taliban hands. We ask the world not to forget Afghanistan or the faces of Kabul. We are them, they are us.”

Writer and photographer Nick, who is based in the Highlands, was ‘embedded’ with the soldiers of 1 Royal Anglian, who formed the British contingent of ISAF, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force.

It was a peacekeeping mission to support the country post-Taliban, and the story he brought back was visually powerful.

In following the soldiers carrying out their day-to-day duties, he was able to capture ordinary life for the men, women and children of Afghanistan, in a period of intense social change.

This included, for example, the rebuilding of homes, de-mining the landscape and seeing girls go to school for the first time in a number of years. Nick’s work won international recognition, was presented at locations including the British Library in London, the House of Commons, and the European Parliament.

In 2020, Creative Scotland provided funding for Nick to produce a new exhibition, re-visiting this story with the purpose of presenting it in 2021, the 20th anniversary of 9/11.

However, last year, the Taliban took back power, which, explains Maryhill and Springburn MSP Bo Doris, gives this exhibition a “new and urgent focus.”

He adds: “There is no doubt there will be a great poignancy to the exhibition and it is a powerful message of support from Scotland’s largest city which has a sizable Afghan community.

“It is a great act of solidarity with the people of Kabul and Afghanistan, particularly the women and children. They have seen their safety, human rights and civil liberties cruelly snatched from them.

“Having the ‘Faces of Kabul’ exhibited at one of our city’s flagship galleries captures the hope, energy and enthusiasm the people of Afghanistan had for the future which was so brutally snatched away by the Taliban.

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“This exhibition reminds us we have our part to play in helping the people of Afghanistan recapture that future.”

Dr Sabir Zazai, CEO of the Scottish Refugee Council adds: “We live in uncertain and unfamiliar times and we must not forget the ongoing sufferings of our fellow human beings in Afghanistan at this critical time.

“The Faces of Kabul exhibition will remind you of impact of decades of war but also the courage, resilience and hopes of ordinary Afghans.

Faces of Kabul is at Kelvingrove Museum and Art Galleries until April 3 and admission is free.