midjourney captures intimate portraits of militant soldiers and their wives

inspired by gustav klimt’s ethereal ‘the kiss’, the AI-generated images depict weapon-clad fighters tenderly embracing their wives.

Hajar Ali edited by ravail khan December 12, 2022 3 min

a glimpse into the ‘romantic’ lives of taliban fighters

An ironic glimpse at the intimate domestic lives of the militant Taliban, this photoseries captures the duality of the lives of the soldiers behind one of the most violent militant regimes in modern day society. Hajar Ali’s AI-generated ‘Taliban Tinder’, which seems to have jumped right out of a page of Orientalism art history, renders ‘romantic’ portraits of the otherwise violent subjects using Midjourney. The resulting compositions are inspired by the ethereal haze of Gustav Klimt’s iconic painting ‘The Kiss’, depicting weapon-clad fighters tenderly embracing their wives, rendered through a soft, sultry lens that sits in stark contrast to the violent nature of the regime.

Explaining her motivations behind her work, Ali tells designboom: ‘I call the genre of my work Reverse Orientalism, where I co-opt and sometimes subvert Occidental imagery to create art featuring Oriental figures.’

midjourney captures intimate portraits of taliban soldiers and their wives (by hajar ali) — ‘Tinder Taliban’ | all images by Hajar Ali

hajar ali’s ai-generated compositions capture duality

While traveling in Chitral several years ago, Hajar Ali was invited to the homes of one of her assigned armed guards. There, she encountered his sister-in-law who was pursuing a PhD — an unexpected discovery within the home of a soldier, whose regime is widely condemned for its cruel oppression of women.

Sparked by this curious duality, the artist’s photoseries considers the duality of an oppressive political regime compared to their intimate domestic lives. Ali questions: ‘What are members of the Taliban, known for its oppressive policies towards women, like in private with their wives?’ ‘I ‘photographed’ various Taliban fighters and their wives in this photoseries that aims to create an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at the men that make up the forces now occupying Afghanistan.’

midjourney captures intimate portraits of militant soldiers and their wives - 1 — *‘an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at the men that make up the forces now occupying Afghanistan’*

midjourney captures intimate portraits of militant soldiers and their wives - 2 — weapon-clad soldiers tenderly embrace their wives

project info:

name: Taliban Tinder

designer: Hajar Ali

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