Mentorship & Resettlement
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The Talking Peers program, conceived by ACAF board directors Leeza Ahmady, Megha Ralapati, and Christopher Ho, facilitates collaborative engagements among Asia-based and Asian diaspora artists, curators, and educators. This initiative aims to activate, empower, and revitalize professional networks by cultivating artistic connections and establishing expansive peer-to-peer mentorship structures. The program seeks to provide a dynamic platform for creative professionals, fostering collaboration across art collectives, institutions, and academia at both local and global levels.
Monthly Mentorship Sessions
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ACAF outreached to their network of artists and art professionals to encourage a fellowship with CEC Artslink, a program dedicated to supporting individuals whose work expands audiences’ awareness, understanding, and perceptions of social, political, and environmental issues. From ACAF’s network, CEC Artslink selected Yama Rahimi and Nabila Horakhsh to participate in a research residency in the United States to engage connections with people, archives, collections, and other resources relevant to expanding their practices.
During his fellowship with CEC Artslink in 2024 sponsored by Magnum Foundation, Yama Rahimi, contemporary artist and activist whose practice spans video art, conceptual photography, and experimental short film, _______. Through the support of ACAF, Yama Rahimi applied for and was selected out of 500 applicants to curate an exhibit with ApexArt in New York City that will open in January 2026. The exhibition titled, “Surviving Shadows - Afghan Art in the Face of Suppression” will focus on the harsh new reality faced by Afghan artists since the Taliban’s takeover, presenting images of destroyed artworks, pieces that remain in Afghanistan, art smuggled out of the country, and the works of Afghan artists in exile.
Nabila Horakhsh, contemporary artist, curator, and co-founder of Berang Arts, was selected as a 2026 CEC Artslink International Fellow and will reside in the US to continue her exploration of _______.
Slavs and Tatars
In 2024, ACAF nominated Hadi Rahnaward, known for his work in film, photography, and installation, for the Slavs and Tatars residency, a robust experience exposing participants to the various stages that lead to a project's fruition. This program means to encourage those who are active in the cultural sector of Eastern Europe and Eurasia, by supporting their professional training in order to build networks for the production of cross-border knowledge. For two months, Hadi Rahnaward furthered his research, planned and hosted his own event, and supported the daily operations of the residency office.
During his residency with Slavs and Tatars supported by ACAF, Hadi Rahnaward deepened his investigation into propaganda and disinformation, focusing on their impact during key moments in Afghan history, like in the Soviet-Afghan War and the US occupation. His event غوغاسالری / Mobocracy, included video, photography, and performance works where Hadi Rahnaward examined how distorted narratives fuel conflict by shaping perceptions of “other”, and who or what falls into that category. Through this work, Hadi Rahnaward offers a critical reflection on image production and challenges audiences for reconsideration of Western narratives. During his residency Hadi Rahnaward conducted extensive research on Afghan oral traditions while contributing to the administrative processes and cultural programming within the residency office.
