Oriane Zerah’s floral focus on Afghan men

As one of a handful of Western photographers working in Afghanistan, Oriane Zerah has a unique perspective on daily life in the country. Her work is on show at the Fragonard museum in Grasse, in the south of France, in an exhibition entitled “Unveiled Women, Men with Flowers: A new face of Afghanistan”, with images that upend stereotypes about masculinity and femininity under the Taliban. She tells us about the place of beauty in Afghan culture, about her own experience during the Taliban takeover of 2021 and why art is even being prescribed to young women in Afghanistan who are suffering under the oppressive regime there.