Khalida Marefat was born in Kabul, Afghanistan. Her interest in art stemmed from early childhood as she saw her uncle practicing calligraphy and gilding at home. After the Taliban regime collapsed, Khalid had the opportunity to further her education by attending gilding and miniature painting courses. In 2011, she enrolled in the Turquoise Mountain Institute where she then spent three years learning miniature painting and gilding from an academic and professional perspective.
Following graduation from the Institute, she worked at a successful calligraphy and gilding studio called Maftahe Honar producing over 150 gilding art pieces over a two-year period. Thus far, Khalida has presented her artwork in both national and international exhibitions in the United States and Saudi Arabia. She aspires to share more work and dreams with those who have yet to experience the beautiful things of Afghanistan.
Established in 2016, Asman Arts formed as a partnership between two Afghan female artisan entrepreneurs, Khalida and her classmate Leeda, who specialize in gilding (tazheb) and miniature arts. Asman means “sky” or “heavens” in Dari, which reminds us of our aspirations for beauty and growth. Asman Arts have produced over 100 intricately detailed pieces of fine art and participated in multiple national exhibitions.
Their art focuses on the use of natural pigments and dyes on hand-made paper following traditional styles of gilding such as teimurid, ghaznavies, and geometric patterns.
The shamsa (mandala) style of art is composed of the studio’s hand-made paper. A vacant inner circle often incorporates Islamic scripts or other poetic texts, depending on the form and audience. The paintbrushes used are extremely fine. Colors are typically extracted from the ground dust of minerals found throughout Afghanistan, natural pigments, dyes, and local plant sources. The resulting artwork is not only naturally beautiful but largely organic and environmentally friendly in nature.
Tazhib (gilding) is an Arabic word that has been derived from the word zahab, which means gold. Gilding is often expressed with beautiful patterns of plants or geometrical shapes. In the beginning, golden color is used in this style of art giving its name of tazhib. Other colors such as azure, blue, green, vermilion, and turquoise are also typically used alongside to accent the gold.
Asman Art’s goal is to install a fresh spirit into gilding and by doing so sustain and advance this important traditional Afghan art form. Additionally, they aim to encourage female participation and provide employment to support and grow the Afghan economy. A partnership with ASEEL means that Asman Arts can share their original and beautiful works with global customers and continue to train more artists, especially female ones, in their local communities.
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