The Laughter of Lovers, an Afghan epic

The city hall of the 20th arrondissement of Paris wished to bring its support to the Afghan people and its artists through this collective exhibition which allows you to discover the worlds of six contemporary artists who try to overcome the pain inflicted on their "freedom of being" . Some of these artists have been living in exile for a long time, others have just been exfiltrated from Afghanistan and are looking for a new lease on life here. Their images, faithful to the complexity of the Afghan reality, were made in different contexts, between 1983 and 2021.

Their work bears witness to fleeting scenes fragmented by a brutal reality and elevates photographic art as a bulwark against persistent violence. It is an unparalleled tool of resistance, a hope to build a different future. The works on display resonate with the text Lovers' laughter by Sayd Bahodine Majrouh and take the visitor, whether from here or elsewhere, into a luminous epic. 

The Pavillon Carré de Baudouin, located at 121, rue de Ménilmontant, takes its name from one of its first owners, Nicolas Carré de Baudouin. Since June 2007, it has been a cultural space dedicated to local, national and international contemporary art, managed administratively and artistically by the Mairie du 20e arrondissement.

Roya Heydari, resident at the Cité internationale des arts, exhibits her work alongside Fatimah Hossaini, Massoud Hossaini, Naseer Turkmani, Roshanak and Reza.