Capturing Stories Behind Smiles

What lies behind a smiling face?

Hikmatullah Kharoti’s photography exhibition, “Afghan Faces,” depicts smiling faces — from two boys with impish grins and battered plastic buckets in hand to a girl smiling shyly as she balances a basket on her head. But these images also capture the stories behind the smiles, such as a girl’s sagging shoulders or a certain hesitancy in a child’s eyes.

Kharoti, an Artist Protection Fund Fellow in residence at the University of Delaware and The Delaware Contemporary museum, photographed these images in August 2021, days and weeks after his home country of Afghanistan fell to the Taliban. An initiative of the Institute of International Education, the Artist Protection Fund provides support for artists to work at host institutions in safe countries where they can continue their artwork and plan for their futures.

Many of the children he photographed were displaced. Some were separated from their families to look for economic opportunities, such as the adolescent in a photo captioned: “I am Lost.” Still others were in their own communities, working to help their families — polishing boots, collecting cardboard or, in the case of the boys with buckets, obtaining drinking water from a public spigot.

“I wanted to capture photos of crisis, but I also wanted to capture the smiles that existed despite the suffering,” Kharoti said. “I wanted to capture the stories of these brave Afghan children.”

Currently on display at The Delaware Contemporary, “Afghan Faces” was exhibited earlier this fall in Perkins Student Center on UD’s Newark campus.

“Making Hikmatullah’s art accessible in public spaces, both on and off campus, is one of the goals of this residency program,” said Colin Miller, director of Global Arts for UD’s College of Arts and Sciences. “Traditional study abroad programs serve an important role, but so do initiatives like the Artist Protection Fund. Bringing international voices and perspectives to campus promotes collaboration and cross-cultural understanding.”

“We are grateful to partner with UD on programs such as this,” said Leslie Shaffer, executive director of The Delaware Contemporary. “This is the perfect opportunity for our student artists and our visitors to see things from a new perspective, from someone who comes to us from halfway around the world.”

Kharoti, 27, appears to have a perpetual smile on his own face, despite knowing hardship. In early summer 2021, he was riding high. He was working as a graphic and video designer for a World Bank project in Afghanistan, helping to create videos that were seen nationwide. After the government fell, his work assignments changed. Feeling restless, a few months later he applied for the Artist Protection Fund program, though he believed it to be a long shot.

In spring 2022, he was elated when he learned that he was awarded the fellowship. First, he told his parents the good news. Then he promptly searched online to find out more about this place he had never heard of called “Delaware.” As an artist in residence, Kharoti’s days are split between UD’s Newark campus and The Delaware Contemporary. Every weekday he takes conversational English classes at UD’s English Language Institute. He has been asked to speak to classes, such as a recent seminar taught by Julie McGee, an associate professor of Africana Studies and Art History. The students peppered him with questions, such as what he’s working on now.

“In Wilmington, I have been asking people living on the streets if I can take their photos,” Kharoti responded. “I guess I’m drawn to suffering. But I also see joy and hope in some of these individuals on the streets, just like I did in Afghanistan.”

“Afghan Faces” will be on display at The Delaware Contemporary through Jan. 28, 2024.​

Article by Margo McDonough 

Photos by Evan Krape and Hikmatullah Kharoti 

December 13, 2023