Beyond the cold grey tones

Mauritian artist Seebaluck's exhibition at Lalit Kala Akademi features 16 paintings of Afghanistan, depicting hope and promise for a better tomorrow. He sought permission from the Ministry of Information and Culture and traveled to seven provinces and cities. His works reflect the aspirations of the Afghans, with subtle implications of the war. His style is a mixture of realism and expressionism, with graffiti and performative brushwork. The show has seen good footfall and viewers curious to know more about Afghanistan.

Empty streets, Kalashnikov-toting Taliban everywhere, few women in blue burqas accompanied by harried-looking men—that’s what one expects to see in Akshay Seebaluck’s exhibition based on Afghanistan, which is going on at the Lalit Kala Akademi gallery.

But what visitors get to view instead are green paddy fields, minarets, scenes from the famous bird market in Kabul and village life. Each canvas is tinged with hope and promise.

Mauritian artist Seebaluck reached Afghanistan in September 2023 and began documenting the country, which was taken over by the Taliban again in 2021. The Indian-origin artist had to seek permission for documenting the country through his art, so he had to visit the office of the Ministry of Information And Culture, Afghanistan, for permission.

“I was surprised by their warmth. When a few officers of the Taliban asked me to draw their faces I asked, ‘Is it allowed? Isn’t it haram?’ They responded, ‘There are different kinds of Taliban. Not every one is radical,” recalls Seebaluck, who studied art at the Indira Kala Sangeet Vishwavidyalaya, Khairagarh, Chhattisgarh.

His subsequent travels to seven provinces and cities in Afghanistan — including Ghazni, Herat, Bamiyan and Kabul — resulted in The Afghan Journal , which features 16 paintings depicting architecture, landscape, heritage and social life. While Seebaluck was in Afghanistan, he kept in touch with his teacher and art historian Johny ML and kept sending him photographs. “I was really curious to see what’s happening in Afghanistan. What came through in Seebaluck’s pictures was surprising. Once I knew he was coming to India, I decided to do a show of his works here,” says Johny, Editor, Lalit Kala Akademi, Contemporary & Publications.

Johny says that Seebaluck’s parents were not aware that their son had been to Afghanistan till the exhibition opened in India earlier this month.

“Contrary to the image of the country being unsafe and intolerant, I got to see a different side of Afghanistan. I saw American and European tourists. Of course, there are challenges but I did see normalcy returning in many places. The people were warm and welcoming. Complete strangers invited me home for food when they saw me sketching. While music is banned, I saw art galleries and exhibitions by artists,” says the artist.