Aatifi

Aatifi
Aatifi
Born	1965; Kandahar, Afghanistan
Occupation	Contemporary artist
Years active	1980s–present
Known for	Painting, printmaking, calligraphy

Aatifi (born 1965) is an Afghan-German contemporary artist specializing in painting, printmaking, and calligraphy. Originating from Kandahar, Afghanistan, he currently resides and produces his work in Bielefeld, Germany. His creations merge abstracted forms of Arabic calligraphy with contemporary European artistic elements.

Biography

Having developed proficiency in calligraphy at a young age, Aatifi relocated to Kabul in 1982 where he completed his secondary education, launched a workshop, and founded a school dedicated to drawing and calligraphy. In 1989, he began studies in painting at the Fine Arts Faculty of Kabul University. That same year, he received the Prize for Calligraphy and Composition from Afghanistan’s Ministry of Culture, an honor he secured again the following year. In 1991, the artist was awarded first prize by the Hakim Naser Khesraw Balkhi artists group. After finishing his academic training in 1992, Aatifi moved to Germany in 1995. He became a member of the Sächsischer Künstlerbund and was granted a residency at Moritzburg Castle in 1997. Recognized by painter and professor Siegfried Klotz for his abilities, Aatifi attended classes at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts during 1997/98. By the end of the 1990s, he had established his studio in Bielefeld, where he continues his artistic practice.

Solo Exhibition at Museum für Islamische Kunst in the Pergamon Museum Berlin (2015)

In 2015, under the invitation of director Stefan Weber, Aatifi presented 'Aatifi - News from Afghanistan' at the Museum für Islamische Kunst within Berlin’s Pergamon Museum. Known for his dedication to preserving historic Islamic art, Weber facilitated this exhibition as the institution’s inaugural showcase of contemporary large-format paintings, highlighting Aatifi’s innovative reinterpretation of calligraphy. Weber emphasized Aatifi’s distinctive fusion of classical calligraphic tradition with modern artistic liberty, distinguishing him among his contemporaries.

Work and techniques

Aatifi’s artistic output features a stylized reinterpretation of written script inspired by traditional Arabic calligraphy. He abstracts linguistic elements into fundamental shapes that form complex visual compositions. Utilizing materials such as acrylic paint, chalk, ink, charcoal, and metal, he constructs layered spatial relationships enriched with varied textures. His work encompasses both figurative and abstract motifs and incorporates printmaking methods acquired during his studies in Dresden. The color schemes employed reflect influences drawn from his experiences across Afghanistan, Germany, and international travels. Since 2016, collage has also become an integral aspect of his creative process.

Works in museums and private collections

Museum für Islamische Kunst within the Pergamon Museum Berlin/Berlin State Museums/Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation
Kupferstich-Kabinett/State Art Collections Dresden
Municipal Art Collection Radebeul
Federal Centre of Culture Salzau
Kunstverein Zwickau e. V. Collection
Municipal Art Collection Zwickau

Exhibitions

2020: Written Imagery, Aatifi et al., Neue Galerie Dachau, Group Exhibition
2020: paper positions Berlin / Positions, Galerie VON & VON (Nürnberg), Group Exhibition
2019: Aatifi – Alphabet der Malerei, Herforder Kunstverein, Solo Exhibition
2018: Hier und Jetzt – Aktuelle Kunst in Westfalen, Gustav-Lübcke-Museum Hamm, Group Exhibition
2018: paper positions Basel, Galerie VON & VON (Nürnberg), Basel, Group Exhibition
2017: POSITIONS Berlin Art Fair, Galerie VON & VON (Nürnberg), Group Exhibition
2017: Aatifi – Neographie, TKA Art Advisors Hamburg, Solo Exhibition
2017: Aatifi – Abstrakte Neographie, Internationaler Club im Auswärtigen Amt e. V., Berlin
2017: SimonBart Gallery Sardinia, Italy, Group Exhibition
2017: Aatifi, Galerie VON & VON Nürnberg, Solo Exhibition
2017: DIE GROSSE NRW at Museum Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf, Group Exhibition
2015: Aatifi – News from Afghanistan, Museum für Islamische Kunst in the Pergamon Museum Berlin, Solo Exhibition
2015: Aatifi – Prozess III, Museum Ratingen, Solo Exhibition
2012: Ereignis Druckgraphik 4: Ansichten – Aussichten, Galerie Vor Ort Ost Leipzig, Group Exhibition
2011: METAKOM, Kunstverein Kreis Gütersloh, Group Exhibition
2009: Aatifi – Skripturale Fragmente, Galerie im Torhaus at Federal Centre of Culture Salzau, Solo Exhibition
2006: Contemporary Art Kabul, art Karlsruhe, Group Exhibition
2005: Aatifi – Tanz am frühen Morgen, City Gallery Radebeul, Solo Exhibition
1990: Aatifi, Ministry of Culture Kabul, Solo Exhibition
1989: Aatifi, Kabul University, Solo Exhibition

Awards and Grants

2018: Honorary Award from Stadt Hamm, Gustav-Lübcke-Museum
2017: Grant awarded by Aldegrever Gesellschaft, Münster
2012: Participation in Collotype Printing Symposium, Leipzig
2012: Contribution to International Graphic Arts Symposium Zwickau Zebra 5
2009: Grant from Federal Centre of Culture Schleswig-Holstein, Salzau
2008: Scholarship at the 18th Saxony Graphic Arts Symposium, Leipzig
2001: Fellowship at Künstlerhaus Schwalenberg
1997: Scholarship awarded at Schloss Moritzburg
1991: First Prize granted by Afghan Artist Group Hakim Naser Khesraw Balkhi
1989 and 1990: First Prize conferred by Afghan Ministry of Culture

Bibliography

Kunibert Bering, Rolf Niehoff: Horizont 1, Bilder der Gegenwart – Globalisierung und Migration. Athena-Verlag, Oberhausen, 2018.
Julia Thieke: Zwischen Lapislazuli und Lithium. Künstlerportrait Aatifi. Published in Kunst & Material magazine, 2016.
Martina Bauer (Editor): Aatifi – News from Afghanistan [exhibition catalogue], Kerber Verlag, 2015.
Kunstverein Zwickau e.V. (Editor): Internationales Grafiksymposium Zwickau Zebra 5 [exhibition catalogue], 2013.
Graphic Arts Museum Schreiner Foundation (Editor): Von Kaiserblau bis Luxusschwarz [exhibition catalogue], Verlag Grafik Museum Stiftung Schreiner, 2011.
Friederike Schir and others (Editors): Metakom [exhibition catalogue], Kettler, 2011.

External links

Official website
Exhibition information for 'Aatifi - News from Afghanistan' at the Museum für Islamische Kunst
Elke Vogel, 'Die fünf Ausstellungstipps der Woche', art Das Kunstmagazin, online edition, 2 July 2015