Conversation between Rada Akbar and Daria de Beauvais, Senior Curator at Palais de Tokyo, moderated by journalist Marie Zawisza, followed by a guided tour and activation of Rada Akbar’s work by Hura Mirshekari

Meet the Artist

Conversation between Rada Akbar and Daria de Beauvais, Senior Curator at Palais de Tokyo, moderated by journalist Marie Zawisza, followed by a guided visit of the exhibition by curators and activation of Rada Akbar’s work by Hura Mirshekari.

Drawing on Haft Paykar, a 12th-century epic by Abū Muḥammad Ilyās ibn Yūsuf Nizāmī Ganjavī (Niẓāmī), Rada Akbar creates sculpted, paper-cut dresses—figurative forms that reflect on beauty, universal knowledge, and the enduring strength of women. Each piece stands as a tribute to the women who have preserved poetry, sonic traditions, and cultural memory across generations.

Haft Paykar, 12th-century narrative poem by Abū Muḥammad Ilyās ibn Yūsuf Nizāmī Ganjavī (Niẓāmī), blends romance, allegory, astrology, and ethics, drawing on the conventions of historical fiction to offer a profound meditation on the soul’s journey.

Merging ancient Persian motifs with contemporary design and materials, Akbar’s work foregrounds the resilience and individuality of Afghan women, becoming both a celebration and a powerful act of resistance, reclaiming women’s voices as vessels of wisdom, continuity, and cosmic meaning.

Rada Akbar, The Queen of the Sun No2 from the series The Roarers, 2025, detail. Credits : Frédéric Poletti.