Stories of strength and resilience

Sparks in the Dark: 260 Weeks of Resilience celebrates the strength, creativity and courage of women living with the enduring impacts of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021). Coinciding with the five-year anniversary of the fall of Kabul, the exhibition is an evocative reminder of the war that connects the Afghani diaspora, the Australian service community and those that stayed in Afghanistan.

At its heart are 260 embroidered handkerchiefs—one for every week since the Taliban regime seized control of the country in August 202—created by 45 women living all over Afghanistan. These are presented alongside powerful new works by emerging artists Mursal Azizi and Kat Rae, creating a moving dialogue across cultures, generations and lived experiences.

Mursal Azizi and Kat Rae share deeply personal connections to conflict: Rae is an Australian Army veteran and war widow, while Azizi is an Afghan artist based in Melbourne whose practice explores women's empowerment, identity and social justice through her lived experience.

The talented artisans behind the embroideries come from Herat, Kabul, Takhar and Kunduz. Many of them lost their husbands in the war. Their work is a lifeline, an artistic form of resistance, a message of hope for a brighter future for their families and the world. The very creation of the traditional Afghan embroidery works by these women while living under the oppressive rule of the Taliban is an act of breathtaking bravery and resistance; to share them with the world is even braver still.
Together, these works create a rare and powerful connection between Afghan women, Australian veterans and Victoria's Afghan community.

Through intricate embroidery and contemporary art, Sparks in the Dark shares stories of resilience, loss and hope, honouring the women who continue to create beauty and meaning despite oppression. The exhibition invites reflection on the enduring human impact of war and the extraordinary strength of those whose stories continue long after conflict fades from the headlines.

Sparks in the Dark will show at the Shrine of Remembrance until August 2027. For more information, visit https://shrine.org.au/exhibitions/sparks-dark

Media Enquiries

The following spokespeople are available for interviews in August:
● Mursal Azizi
● Kat Rae
● Kate Spinks-Colas, exhibition curator
For further information and interview requests, please contact Bec Bridges on bec@pitchprojects.com or 0405 655 245; or Terri King on terri@pitchprojects.com or 0408 036 740.
Images available upon request.

About the artists

Mursal Azizi is an Afghan multidisciplinary artist based in Melbourne, Australia. Her practice is shaped by the realities of decades of confl ict in Afghanistan and by her lived experience as an Afghan woman. Driven by a belief in the power of art and storytelling, she uses her practice to share stories, create opportunities, and contribute to meaningful change.

Through her individual artworks and collaborative projects, Azizi shares the stories of Afghan women, helping audiences understand the realities of confl ict and the lives shaped by it. Her work invites people to look beyond the headlines and connect with the individuals behind the stories, believing that understanding can become a catalyst for opportunity.

Azizi is the founder of Hoori Handmade, a social enterprise that collaborates with women artisans in Afghanistan. By connecting their traditional embroidery with audiences in Australia, Hoori Handmade preserves cultural heritage while creating meaningful economic opportunities, enabling women to share their stories through their own craftsmanship.

She studied Graphic Design at Kabul University and holds a Master's degree in Digital Animation from India. Her work has been exhibited in Afghanistan and Australia. For Azizi, storytelling is not the end goal, it is the beginning.

Kat Rae served in the Australian Regular Army for 20 years, deploying to the Middle East on three operations, including two tours of Afghanistan. She retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2019 to pursue her passion for the arts.

Her work explores how place, memory and experience layer and mesh, and who or what is forgotten after the war. In 2024, upon graduating from RMIT with First Class Honours in Fine Arts, she was awarded the School of Art Social Change Award. In the same year, she won the Australian War Memorial's Napier Waller Art Prize for her work Deathmin, which was subsequently featured in the ABC documentary series When the War is Over (2025).

Extensively exhibited throughout Australia and a finalist in multiple art prizes, Rae's work is held in the collections of the Australian War Memorial, the Shrine of Remembrance, and the Australian National Veterans Arts Museum.