{"id":19651,"date":"2024-11-05T16:31:50","date_gmt":"2024-11-05T16:31:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/?page_id=19651"},"modified":"2025-03-20T11:51:06","modified_gmt":"2025-03-20T11:51:06","slug":"about-ghazal-farkhari","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/about-ghazal-farkhari\/","title":{"rendered":"Ghazal Farkhari"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"19651\" class=\"elementor elementor-19651\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section data-dce-background-overlay-image-url=\"https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/sleeve-festive2024_small-2.png\" class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-30bcd91 elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-items-stretch elementor-section-height-min-height elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"30bcd91\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-background-overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-892809e\" data-id=\"892809e\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e564e3c e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"e564e3c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-19dae8c e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"19dae8c\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9c0bc9a e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"9c0bc9a\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-50cd553 gallery-spacing-custom elementor-widget elementor-widget-image-gallery\" data-id=\"50cd553\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image-gallery.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-image-gallery\">\n\t\t\t<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-19651 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1677\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2024\/11\/Ghazal-Farkhari-1-scaled.jpg.avif\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-19653\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2024\/11\/Ghazal-Farkhari-1-scaled.jpg.avif 1677w, https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2024\/11\/Ghazal-Farkhari-1-197x300.jpg.avif 197w, https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2024\/11\/Ghazal-Farkhari-1-671x1024.jpg.avif 671w, https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2024\/11\/Ghazal-Farkhari-1-768x1172.jpg.avif 768w, https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2024\/11\/Ghazal-Farkhari-1-1006x1536.jpg.avif 1006w, https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2024\/11\/Ghazal-Farkhari-1-1342x2048.jpg.avif 1342w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1677px) 100vw, 1677px\" data-smush-avif-fallback=\"{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/zibafoods.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/Ghazal-Farkhari-1-scaled.jpg&quot;,&quot;srcset&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/zibafoods.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/Ghazal-Farkhari-1-scaled.jpg 1677w, https:\\\/\\\/zibafoods.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/Ghazal-Farkhari-1-197x300.jpg 197w, https:\\\/\\\/zibafoods.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/Ghazal-Farkhari-1-671x1024.jpg 671w, https:\\\/\\\/zibafoods.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/Ghazal-Farkhari-1-768x1172.jpg 768w, https:\\\/\\\/zibafoods.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/Ghazal-Farkhari-1-1006x1536.jpg 1006w, https:\\\/\\\/zibafoods.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/Ghazal-Farkhari-1-1342x2048.jpg 1342w&quot;}\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-19653'>\n\t\t\t\tThe artist, Ghazal Farkhari\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"810\" height=\"1076\" data-src=\"https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Lapis-Dreams.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full lazyload\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-19700\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Lapis-Dreams.jpeg 810w, https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2024\/11\/Lapis-Dreams-226x300.jpeg.avif 226w, https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2024\/11\/Lapis-Dreams-771x1024.jpeg.avif 771w, https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2024\/11\/Lapis-Dreams-768x1020.jpeg.avif 768w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 810px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 810\/1076;\" data-original-sizes=\"(max-width: 810px) 100vw, 810px\" data-smush-avif-fallback=\"{&quot;data-srcset&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/zibafoods.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/Lapis-Dreams.jpeg 810w, https:\\\/\\\/zibafoods.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/Lapis-Dreams-226x300.jpeg 226w, https:\\\/\\\/zibafoods.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/Lapis-Dreams-771x1024.jpeg 771w, https:\\\/\\\/zibafoods.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/Lapis-Dreams-768x1020.jpeg 768w&quot;}\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-19700'>\n\t\t\t\tLapis Dreams by Ghazal Farkhari\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1982\" height=\"1548\" data-src=\"https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-10-16-at-2.13.32\u202fPM.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full lazyload\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-19702\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-10-16-at-2.13.32\u202fPM.jpeg 1982w, https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-10-16-at-2.13.32\u202fPM-300x234.jpeg.avif 300w, https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-10-16-at-2.13.32\u202fPM-1024x800.jpeg.avif 1024w, https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-10-16-at-2.13.32\u202fPM-768x600.jpeg.avif 768w, https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-10-16-at-2.13.32\u202fPM-1536x1200.jpeg.avif 1536w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1982px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1982\/1548;\" data-original-sizes=\"(max-width: 1982px) 100vw, 1982px\" data-smush-avif-fallback=\"{&quot;data-srcset&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/zibafoods.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/Screenshot-2024-10-16-at-2.13.32\\u202fPM.jpeg 1982w, https:\\\/\\\/zibafoods.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/Screenshot-2024-10-16-at-2.13.32\\u202fPM-300x234.jpeg 300w, https:\\\/\\\/zibafoods.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/Screenshot-2024-10-16-at-2.13.32\\u202fPM-1024x800.jpeg 1024w, https:\\\/\\\/zibafoods.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/Screenshot-2024-10-16-at-2.13.32\\u202fPM-768x600.jpeg 768w, https:\\\/\\\/zibafoods.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/Screenshot-2024-10-16-at-2.13.32\\u202fPM-1536x1200.jpeg 1536w&quot;}\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-19702'>\n\t\t\t\tInitial sketch for Ziba Foods\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"2038\" height=\"1402\" data-src=\"https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-10-16-at-2.14.45\u202fPM.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full lazyload\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-19703\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-10-16-at-2.14.45\u202fPM.jpeg 2038w, https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-10-16-at-2.14.45\u202fPM-300x206.jpeg.avif 300w, https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-10-16-at-2.14.45\u202fPM-1024x704.jpeg.avif 1024w, https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-10-16-at-2.14.45\u202fPM-768x528.jpeg.avif 768w, https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-10-16-at-2.14.45\u202fPM-1536x1057.jpeg.avif 1536w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 2038px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 2038\/1402;\" data-original-sizes=\"(max-width: 2038px) 100vw, 2038px\" data-smush-avif-fallback=\"{&quot;data-srcset&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/zibafoods.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/Screenshot-2024-10-16-at-2.14.45\\u202fPM.jpeg 2038w, https:\\\/\\\/zibafoods.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/Screenshot-2024-10-16-at-2.14.45\\u202fPM-300x206.jpeg 300w, https:\\\/\\\/zibafoods.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/Screenshot-2024-10-16-at-2.14.45\\u202fPM-1024x704.jpeg 1024w, https:\\\/\\\/zibafoods.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/Screenshot-2024-10-16-at-2.14.45\\u202fPM-768x528.jpeg 768w, https:\\\/\\\/zibafoods.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/Screenshot-2024-10-16-at-2.14.45\\u202fPM-1536x1057.jpeg 1536w&quot;}\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-19703'>\n\t\t\t\tTextile sketch by Ghazal Farkhari\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"2036\" height=\"1624\" data-src=\"https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-10-16-at-2.15.27\u202fPM.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full lazyload\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-19704\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-10-16-at-2.15.27\u202fPM.jpeg 2036w, https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-10-16-at-2.15.27\u202fPM-300x239.jpeg.avif 300w, https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-10-16-at-2.15.27\u202fPM-1024x817.jpeg.avif 1024w, https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-10-16-at-2.15.27\u202fPM-768x613.jpeg.avif 768w, https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-10-16-at-2.15.27\u202fPM-1536x1225.jpeg.avif 1536w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 2036px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 2036\/1624;\" data-original-sizes=\"(max-width: 2036px) 100vw, 2036px\" data-smush-avif-fallback=\"{&quot;data-srcset&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/zibafoods.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/Screenshot-2024-10-16-at-2.15.27\\u202fPM.jpeg 2036w, https:\\\/\\\/zibafoods.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/Screenshot-2024-10-16-at-2.15.27\\u202fPM-300x239.jpeg 300w, https:\\\/\\\/zibafoods.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/Screenshot-2024-10-16-at-2.15.27\\u202fPM-1024x817.jpeg 1024w, https:\\\/\\\/zibafoods.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/Screenshot-2024-10-16-at-2.15.27\\u202fPM-768x613.jpeg 768w, https:\\\/\\\/zibafoods.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/Screenshot-2024-10-16-at-2.15.27\\u202fPM-1536x1225.jpeg 1536w&quot;}\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-19704'>\n\t\t\t\tWork in progress for Ziba Foods\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"2026\" height=\"1626\" data-src=\"https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-10-16-at-2.18.12\u202fPM.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full lazyload\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-19705\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-10-16-at-2.18.12\u202fPM.jpeg 2026w, https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-10-16-at-2.18.12\u202fPM-300x241.jpeg.avif 300w, https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-10-16-at-2.18.12\u202fPM-1024x822.jpeg.avif 1024w, https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-10-16-at-2.18.12\u202fPM-768x616.jpeg.avif 768w, https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-10-16-at-2.18.12\u202fPM-1536x1233.jpeg.avif 1536w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 2026px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 2026\/1626;\" data-original-sizes=\"(max-width: 2026px) 100vw, 2026px\" data-smush-avif-fallback=\"{&quot;data-srcset&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/zibafoods.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/Screenshot-2024-10-16-at-2.18.12\\u202fPM.jpeg 2026w, https:\\\/\\\/zibafoods.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/Screenshot-2024-10-16-at-2.18.12\\u202fPM-300x241.jpeg 300w, https:\\\/\\\/zibafoods.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/Screenshot-2024-10-16-at-2.18.12\\u202fPM-1024x822.jpeg 1024w, https:\\\/\\\/zibafoods.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/Screenshot-2024-10-16-at-2.18.12\\u202fPM-768x616.jpeg 768w, https:\\\/\\\/zibafoods.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/Screenshot-2024-10-16-at-2.18.12\\u202fPM-1536x1233.jpeg 1536w&quot;}\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-19705'>\n\t\t\t\tFruits and patterns for Ziba Foods\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-31b3a76 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"31b3a76\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ce53650 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ce53650\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Ghazal Farkhari<\/strong> is the Afghan-Canadian artist behind <a href=\"https:\/\/rasmorawaj.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rasmorawaj<\/a>. Her journey began with a recognition of the underrepresentation of expressive Afghan artwork in the digital art space. In response, she turned to digital art as a way to convey her love for her homeland.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>We sat down with Ghazal to talk about what inspires her and her artistic process.<\/p><p><em>All images are courtesy of the artist.<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-84db1e3 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"84db1e3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-410ea4e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"410ea4e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><b>Tell us a bit about your background and how you got started in art.<\/b><\/p><p>I come from an Afghan background, but I grew up in Canada after my parents immigrated when I was three. Visiting Afghanistan when I was 12 really sparked my awareness of my hyphenated identity, which influenced both my studies and the development work I pursued later on.<\/p><p>My art journey began during the pandemic when I was laid off and started exploring digital art. I came across South Asian art pages online and noticed a lack of representation of Afghan culture. I taught myself digital illustration and started sharing my work on Instagram, which led to collaborations with organizations like the BBC and now Ziba Foods.<\/p><p><b>Can you talk us through the steps you took to create the holiday design for Ziba Foods?<\/b><\/p><p>The process began by reflecting on the natural and cultural heritage of the fruits and nuts that Ziba offers. I brainstormed which elements to illustrate\u2014raisins, mulberries, figs, almonds\u2014and incorporated symbols of Afghanistan, like common flowers. This set the foundation for a beautiful cover design.<\/p><p>The challenge was finding a balance between traditional influences and a modern twist to appeal to today\u2019s audience. A breakthrough came when we shifted from abstract representations to illustrating the actual products Ziba offers. This made the design more meaningful, reflecting the contents inside and creating a special connection between the box and its contents.<\/p><p><b>Were there any personal memories tied to eating nuts and dried fruits with your family that influenced your design?<\/b><\/p><p>Absolutely! Nuts and dried fruits were always part of family gatherings, especially during special occasions like Nowruz or Eid. They symbolize community and togetherness, which I wanted to capture in the design. The idea of sharing these snacks while telling stories really influenced my approach\u2014it\u2019s nostalgic, but also aligned with Ziba&#8217;s mission.<\/p><p><b>How does your identity influence your approach to your work?<\/b><\/p><p>My identity plays a huge role in my work. When I create independent pieces, I often draw inspiration from Afghan photography and imagine the stories behind the images. For the holiday box, I explored Afghan textiles, which was a new direction for me since I usually focus on faces and people. It was fun merging cultural and product-based designs. I\u2019ve also carried with me my roots in development work, which has taught me to understand and respect community needs. This perspective shapes my art and reminds me to represent Afghan culture authentically and meaningfully.<\/p><p><b>How do you see the overlap between your development work and your art?<\/b><\/p><p>A big part of my education focused on sustainable, community-based development\u2014ensuring what you do is truly beneficial. Too often, there\u2019s a mismatch between what communities need and what donors provide. For instance, I\u2019ve heard stories of communities needing toilets and being given iPads instead. This disconnect influences how I create art for Rasmorawaj. I strive to show joy and positivity in my work, but I\u2019m also aware that not every story is happy. When the Taliban took over, I illustrated a girl reflecting on the loss of her education, capturing both frustration and resilience. My art highlights the incredible resilience of the Afghan people.<\/p><p><b>In what ways do you see art as a way to preserve Afghan culture, especially during these turbulent times?<\/b><\/p><p>That\u2019s a really thoughtful question. Honestly, I don\u2019t fully identify as an \u201cartist\u201d in the traditional sense, as I never formally studied art. My journey started during the lockdown when I began working digitally. So, I see myself more as a digital illustrator. Historically, though, art\u2014whether through poetry, painting, or other forms\u2014has always been integral to Afghan culture, especially for women. It\u2019s been a way for them to express themselves, even when other avenues were restricted. While I may not be a traditional artist, I believe digital art can still tap into that larger cultural conversation.<\/p><p><b>Are there any traditional Afghan techniques or motifs that you regularly incorporate into your work?<\/b><\/p><p>Afghan textiles have been a huge influence, especially since I started experimenting with digital tools. One of my favorite pieces, <i>Lapis Dreams<\/i>, was my first exploration into textile-inspired art, and that influence carried over to the Ziba holiday box design.<\/p><p><b>What do you hope people take away from your collaboration with Ziba, and from your work in general?<\/b><\/p><p>The collaboration with Ziba was really special. It was exciting to see how two seemingly different worlds\u2014art and a dried fruit and nuts business\u2014came together in such a meaningful way. I hope people will support Ziba because they\u2019re doing something truly amazing, and the art is something you can keep! Whether people admire the art or enjoy the products, I hope it showcases the beauty of collaboration.<\/p><p>For my personal artwork, I want people to look beyond the surface and recognize that Afghan culture is much more than what\u2019s often portrayed in the media. There\u2019s so much richness, beauty, and depth that\u2019s often overlooked. If people can appreciate that, I think life becomes more beautiful and meaningful. My goal is to spread positivity and highlight the beauty of Afghan culture.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bc48aa0 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"bc48aa0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5dad41b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5dad41b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Follow Ghazal on Instagram <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/rasmorawaj\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@rasmorawaj<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<section data-dce-background-overlay-image-url=\"https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/sleeve-festive2024_small-2.png\" class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-038acd1 elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-items-stretch elementor-section-height-min-height elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"038acd1\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-background-overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-4c6513e\" data-id=\"4c6513e\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The artist, Ghazal Farkhari Lapis Dreams by Ghazal Farkhari Initial sketch for Ziba Foods Textile sketch by Ghazal Farkhari Work in progress for Ziba Foods Fruits and patterns for Ziba Foods Ghazal Farkhari is the Afghan-Canadian artist behind Rasmorawaj. Her journey began with a recognition of the underrepresentation of expressive Afghan artwork in the digital [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-19651","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/19651","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19651"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/19651\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23674,"href":"https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/19651\/revisions\/23674"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zibafoods.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19651"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}