Jason Motlagh & Kiana Hayeri

Jason Motlagh,
acrylic on plywood, NFS

*this exhibition evolved from conversations between Christa Assad and Jason Motlagh over the past 20 months since the Taliban’s takeover that marked the end of the 20-year War in Afghanistan. It was Jason’s passion for the subject that drew Christa in. His travels and reporting throughout war-torn Afghanistan — illuminating and dangerous — brought a human element to the otherwise ruthless conflict. Jason introduced Christa to Kiana Hayeri, who until only recently was reporting from Kabul, where she kept residence until the air-evacuation of August, 2021. The collaboration between Assad, Motlagh and Hayeri led to these artworks.

Jason Motlagh is an Iranian-American journalist and filmmaker drawn to underreported stories in challenging environments, with a focus on conflict, migration and human rights. He started reporting from Afghanistan in 2006 and became TIME magazine’s Kabul correspondent. Now a contributing editor at Rolling Stone, he’s worked in more than 60 countries spanning Southeast Asia to Latin America for National Geographic, Outside, The Washington Post, The Guardian, and The Economist. As founder of Blackbeard Media, Jason produces, directs and hosts news documentaries for Al Jazeera English, National Geographic, Vice on Showtime, and others. His recognitions include a National Magazine Award, Overseas Press Club Award, Kurt Schork Award for international war reporting, Daniel Pearl Award, and an Emmy. He lives in Todos Santos with his wife, two sons and three horses.
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Kiana Hayeri,
acrylic on plywood, NFS

*this exhibition would not be possible without the photographs of Kiana Hayeri, from which all of these paintings of Afghan women are derived.

Kiana Hayeri is an Iranian-Canadian photographer, focusing on migration, identity and sexuality in societies dealing with oppression or conflict. She is a Senior TED fellow and a regular contributor to The New York Times. Her work has appeared in Harper's Magazine, Foreign Policy, Washington Post, NPR, Monocle Magazine, Wall Street Journal, Le Monde, The Globe and Mail, among others. Just last month (March 8, 2023), The New York Times published the chilling human-interest feature story, Loss Piles on Loss for Afghan Women, written by Christina Goldbaum, with emotive photos from Kiana’s eight-year stay in Afghanistan.