Sparks in the Dark was a celebration of the strength and creativity of women touched by the ongoing effects of the Afghanistan war — shown at Next Wave from 15–24 August 2025. 

Developed by emerging artists Mursal Azizi and Kat Rae, Sparks in the Dark fused traditional and contemporary art practices — incorporating new works from Azizi and Rae, alongside 208 embroidered handkerchiefs from more than 30 women living in Afghanistan.  

The 208 handkerchiefs represent each week since the Taliban started working to erase women from Afghan society. 

The installation — and associated program of activations — was the manifestation of the artists’ separate but enmeshed experiences as women impacted by war: myself as an army veteran and war widow, and Azizi as an Afghan woman, born and raised in Afghanistan. Azizi fled to Pakistan in 2021 after the Taliban seized power, spending two years living as a refugee before relocating to Australia in 2023. 
Since then, Azizi has worked to empower Afghan women both in Australia and overseas, providing artistic and social activities, education and work opportunities to more than 50 women and girls. 

“As a multi-disciplinary artist, my practice is deeply rooted in my identity and experiences as an Afghan woman. I believe in social change through art, and for the women sharing their works in Sparks in the Dark, art is an act of resistance and hope for the future – a testament to their resilience, strength, and determination to assert their existence and preserve their identity,” Azizi says.

My work shares a similar purpose. Obsessed with counter monuments, I peeled back layers of place, memory and experience to explore the cost of war and who or what is ‘forgotten’ in its wake. I was in the Australian Army for 20 years, during which I was deployed to the Middle East three times—including to Afghanistan twice, where I worked closely with Afghans to improve gender equality. Australian veterans, many of whom worked tirelessly to help create a more peaceful and equitable Afghanistan, grieve for what is lost under the oppressive taliban regime.

“parks in the Dark is about women’s resilience, creativity and humanity in the face of adversity. The impacts of the Afghanistan war are far-reaching. But by gathering the works of these strong women, especially women in Afghanistan, Sparks in the Dark shares their message to the world: They refuse to be silenced.”

Sparks in the Dark was presented by Mursal Azizi and Kat Rae, in collaboration with Next Wave.

Next Wave is a leading not-for-profit arts organisation dedicated to supporting early-career artists working across multiple art forms.

This project was assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body, as well as through the Next Wave, Wayward Women Giving Fund, Australian National Veterans Art Museum, Young Veterans and the Australian War Memorial. Thank you Emily Lord-Parsons for your extraordinary mentorship.

Stunning opening photos credit of @lensoforion