Sculptor Sharif Azizyar

Abdul Sharif Azizyar was born in 1951 in Kabul Afghanistan. About his works he says "I believe my works are reflection of my life and the life and problems of the people of Afghanistan, My works, by and large, symbolize the problems of women in Afghanistan. I have a feeling that never will I be free to step out of this bond. My style of work is classic. Something I have learned in Afghanistan and in Russia. Probably my style will change under the influence of Western European art, which is very modern."

He made the first monumental sculpture, seven meters high, in Afghanistan in 1984. The monument was a combination of two bronze figures. He received the first price in the contest for the symbolic Peace monument design that was to be installed in the Peace square of Kabul city. This monument had a height of 21 meters.

With the design of realistic symbolic monuments, he has participated in different contests and won the first prize.

In a commentary on his work, the BBC World Service, radio broadcasting of Britain said "Abdul Sharif Azizyar is a wellknown sculptor. A statue which he made was installed in Kabul." Likewise, Channel no.1 of Moscow Television , in a commentary on his work said " Azizyar is one of the founders of the school of Professional Sculptors of the contemporary Afghanistan. He is the designer of the first monumental composition that will be installed for the decoration of one of the Kabul city streets"

He is a member of the artists' guild (Kunstgebouw Zuid-Holland) since December 1999.