When Sughra Hussainy was a child in Afghanistan, the Taliban was in power and, as she tells NPR, she never imagined that she would get the opportunity to become an artist. Now at 27, Ms. Hussainy is more than living up to her potential as her work as a miniature painter and calligrapher is currently on display at a Smithsonian Institution exhibit entitled “Turquoise Mountain: Artists Transforming Afghanistan.” Running through January 2017, the exhibit features the work of Afghan artists who trained with Turquoise Mountain, a nonprofit whose mandate is to revive and support traditional arts in Afghanistan.
Ms. Hussainy’s work has sold to collectors in Europe and the United Arab Emirates (though not in her native country, where there is not much of a market for art). She has also collaborated with British jewelry designer Alice Cicolini, creating a collection of hand-painted rings and necklaces.
