Kubra Khademi, a Fine Arts alumna and UMISAA scholar at BNU, is an internationally acclaimed Afghan-born Hazara performance artist and feminist. Forced to flee Kabul in 2015 after her groundbreaking public performance Armor, she transformed her experience as a woman and refugee into powerful art, ultimately earning French citizenship in 2020.
MDSVADMariam Dawood School of Visual Arts & Design, BNU
Alumni in focus
Kubra Khademi’s journey from BNU to the world stage
The performance artist who began creating public work as a student at BNU has gone on to exhibit across Europe, receive one of France’s highest cultural honours, and premiere work at Théâtre de la Ville in Paris.
MDSVAD News / Artistic journey and career highlights
After studying fine arts at Kabul University and Beaconhouse National University (BNU) in Lahore, where she first began creating public performances, Kubra returned to Kabul to address extreme patriarchal politics through her work. Following her famous 2015 performance Armor, she sought refuge in France, settling in Paris.
Her artistic journey has earned significant international acclaim.
Career highlights
Honors and residencies
Awarded an MFA Fellowship at the Panthéon (2016) and named Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by Audrey Azoulay. She was nominated for Emerige Revelations (2019), won the 1% art market award (2020), and completed residencies at the Fiminco Foundation (Paris, until 2021) and the Salomon Foundation (New York, 2022).
Major performances and projects
Designed the official poster for the Avignon Festival (2022), premiered her performance The Golden Horizon (افق طلائی) at Théâtre de la Ville (Paris, 2023), published her graphic novel La fille et le dragon with Nicole Lapierre (Éditions Denoël, 2024), and was featured on the BBC’s The Documentary Podcast in March 2026.
Representation
Her production is accompanied by Latitudes Prod. (since 2016), and her plastic work is represented globally by Galerie Eric Mouchet in Paris and Brussels (since 2020).
Solo exhibitions
Fifteen solo presentations across France, Germany, Belgium and Thailand since 2019.
Year
Exhibition
Venue and location
2026
Women in Simple Situations
Jarmuschek + Partner, Berlin, Germany
L’origine de l’univers
Le Confort Moderne, Poitiers, France
2024
Bread, Work, Freedom (نان، کار، آزادی)
Anita Beckers Galerie, Frankfurt / Main, Germany
La Fille et le Dragon
Galerie Eric Mouchet, Paris, France
Bread, Work, Freedom (نان، کار، آزادی)
Städtische Galerie, Karlsruhe, Germany
2023
Ta’Me’Sib
Galerie Eric Mouchet, Brussels, Belgium
The Sleeping Beauty
Galerie Martin Kudlek, Cologne, Germany
Pablo Picasso Suite 156 with Kubra Khademi
Museum Ludwig, Cologne, Germany
2022
First but not last time in America
Collection Lambert, Avignon, France
Political Bodies
Museum Pfalzgalerie, Kaiserslautern, Germany
2021
From the Two Page Book
Galerie Eric Mouchet, Paris, France
2020
Bangkok Biennial
Bangkok, Thailand
Ordinary Women
SOMA, Marseille, France
Ordinary Women
Galerie des Femmes Antoinette Fouque, Paris, France
2019
Corps et désaccords
Galerie Valérie Delaunay, Paris, France
Kubra Khademi’s courageous art, international recognition, and dedicated representation of marginalized voices serve as an inspiring testament to the transformative impact of BNU’s creative community on the world stage.
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