On 15th August 2021, the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan, precisely 20 years after their expulsion in 2001. While their return was widely expected, the pace at which it occurred caught many off guard with the Taliban entering Kabul before U.S. and NATO forces had fully withdrawn. A chaotic evacuation occurred; embassies scrambled to extract their staff while Afghan citizens desperately attempted to gain access to the limited airlifts taking place. The scenes at Kabul airport contained echoes of history, the 1975 fall of Saigon ringing in the ears of many.

Following these events, Hashem Shakeri travelled to Afghanistan, arriving after the international news media had largely moved on to other stories. His images capture daily life as the country readjusts to life under the Taliban. An atmosphere of both uncertainty and ambiguity can be felt; an end to 20 years of conflict yet the return of restrictions and the ongoing threat of violence. His images avoid the monumental, instead focusing on how communities survive in the wake of global history.

Hashem Shakeri is an artist, photographer and filmmaker based in Tehran. He creates slow documentary projects that study the aftermath of global histories and ideologies. His work has been published by The Sunday Time, The New York Times, The New Yorker and the British Journal of Photography, amongst others. He is the recipient of multiple awards including: the Leica Oskar Barnack Award (shortlist, 2020), Reportage Grant from Getty Images (2019), POYi’s World Understanding Award (2017), the Lucas Dolega Award (2016) and the Ian Parry Scholarship (Commended, 2015). His work has been presented in group exhibitions including: Paris Photo (2018) and Recontres de la Photographie d’Arles (2017). This exhibition will be his first solo show in the UK.