About Artist

Born into an artistic family in 1978, art has been an integral part of Shahdad’s identity since childhood. He began studying Afghan miniature painting under the guidance of his uncle, Ahmad Ali Shahdad, a professor of Fine Arts at Kabul University. In 1991, he continued his formal training at the Behzad Institute of Fine Arts in Islamabad, Pakistan. Drawn to the depth and precision of miniature painting, he devoted himself to mastering this intricate tradition. Alongside his artistic education, he also studied law and political science in Afghanistan, which has deeply informed his perspective on society and culture.

With the support of his brothers, who are also miniature artists, he held his first exhibition in Islamabad, Pakistan. Much of Shahdad’s early work was shaped by his experience of separation from his homeland during the Soviet invasion, often reflecting Afghan traditions, memory, and cultural identity. Over time, his work has been exhibited internationally and is held in private and public collections across the United States, France, United Kingdom, Pakistan, United Arab Emirates, and Iran. Shafiullah Shahdad has had the honor of collaborating with renowned Persian calligraphers on the design of important literary editions, including the Divan of Hafez and the works of Omar Khayyam.

Following his evacuation from Afghanistan, his first project in the United States was a mural created in collaboration with the U.S. Air Force at Fort Dix, New Jersey, during his stay at the military base in 2022. He is currently based in Westchester, New York, where he continues to develop his artistic practice. In 2025, through the kind assistance of ArtsWestchester, he was honored to receive an Individual Artist Grant from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) in recognition of his work integrating traditional and contemporary artistic approaches, often described as “Talfiq.”